Nordea Investment Management AB Buys 115,732 Shares of Laureate Education $LAUR

Nordea Investment Management AB raised its stake in shares of Laureate Education (NASDAQ:LAUR) by 273.4% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 158,070 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 115,732 shares during the quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB owned approximately 0.11% of Laureate Education worth $4,962,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. 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 purchasing an additional 1,265 shares during the last quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board bought a new position in shares of Laureate Education in the second quarter valued at approximately $108,000. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust raised its stake in shares of Laureate Education by 11.8% in 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 during the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of 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. Finally, Avanza Fonder AB grew its position in Laureate Education by 54.8% during the 2nd quarter. Avanza Fonder AB now owns 6,900 shares of the company’s stock worth $161,000 after acquiring an additional 2,443 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 96.27% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have commented on LAUR shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. started coverage on Laureate Education in a research note on Wednesday, December 10th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $40.00 price objective on the stock. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Laureate Education from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, September 20th. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on shares of Laureate Education from $26.00 to $32.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, October 20th. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Laureate Education from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, September 29th. Finally, UBS Group increased their price target on shares of Laureate Education from $36.00 to $39.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Laureate Education currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $33.75.

Laureate Education Stock Performance

Laureate Education stock opened at $34.59 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $5.10 billion, a PE ratio of 25.25 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 has a 1 year low of $17.91 and a 1 year high of $35.87. The company’s 50-day moving average is $32.48 and its two-hundred day moving average is $29.11.

Laureate Education (NASDAQ:LAUR) last posted its quarterly earnings results 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 business had revenue of $400.20 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $391.77 million. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.56 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 8.6% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts anticipate that Laureate Education will post 1.51 earnings per share for the current year.

Laureate Education declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a share buyback program on Thursday, October 30th that authorizes the company to buyback $150.00 million in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the company to buy up to 3.5% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are typically an indication that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Laureate Education 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.