Marathon Asset Management Ltd Trims Holdings in Laureate Education $LAUR

Marathon Asset Management Ltd trimmed its holdings in shares of Laureate Education (NASDAQ:LAUR) by 5.7% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,526,033 shares of the company’s stock after selling 93,053 shares during the quarter. Laureate Education accounts for approximately 1.8% of Marathon Asset Management Ltd’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 18th largest holding. Marathon Asset Management Ltd owned approximately 1.04% of Laureate Education worth $48,131,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in LAUR. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Laureate Education by 328.6% during the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,650 shares of the company’s stock valued at $39,000 after buying an additional 1,265 shares in the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. grew its stake in Laureate Education by 41.8% in the 3rd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 4,600 shares of the company’s stock worth $145,000 after acquiring an additional 1,356 shares in the last quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board purchased a new position in shares of Laureate Education during the second quarter worth approximately $108,000. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust raised its stake in shares of Laureate Education by 11.8% during the second quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 6,031 shares of the company’s stock valued at $141,000 after acquiring an additional 636 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Avanza Fonder AB raised its stake in shares of Laureate Education by 54.8% during the second quarter. Avanza Fonder AB now owns 6,900 shares of the company’s stock valued at $161,000 after acquiring an additional 2,443 shares in the last quarter. 96.27% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Laureate Education Stock Up 1.5%

Shares of NASDAQ LAUR opened at $34.35 on Monday. Laureate Education has a 12-month low of $17.82 and a 12-month high of $34.37. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $31.05 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $27.89. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.06 billion, a PE ratio of 25.07 and a beta of 0.60. The company has a current ratio of 0.81, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06.

Laureate Education (NASDAQ:LAUR) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 30th. The company reported $0.23 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.33 by ($0.10). Laureate Education had a return on equity of 22.99% and a net margin of 12.86%.The company had revenue of $400.20 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $391.77 million. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.56 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts expect that Laureate Education will post 1.51 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Laureate Education declared that its board has approved a stock repurchase program on Thursday, October 30th that permits the company to buyback $150.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization permits the company to reacquire up to 3.5% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are generally an indication that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages recently issued reports on LAUR. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Laureate Education in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Wall Street Zen cut Laureate Education from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, September 20th. Zacks Research lowered Laureate Education from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, September 29th. UBS Group lifted their price objective on Laureate Education from $35.00 to $36.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, November 3rd. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on shares of Laureate Education from $26.00 to $32.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, October 20th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Laureate Education has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $33.00.

Laureate Education Company Profile

Laureate Education, Inc (NASDAQ: LAUR) is a leading global network of higher education institutions dedicated to providing undergraduate, graduate and certificate programs to a diverse student body. The company designs and delivers academic offerings through a combination of campus-based and online platforms, focusing on fields such as business, health sciences, engineering, education and hospitality management. By aligning its curriculum with regional workforce needs, Laureate aims to equip students with practical skills and industry insights that support career advancement and lifelong learning.

Through its network, Laureate operates a broad portfolio of universities and colleges, including both longstanding campus institutions and digitally native programs.