AlphaQuest LLC Acquires 37,516 Shares of Laureate Education $LAUR

AlphaQuest LLC grew its holdings in shares of Laureate Education (NASDAQ:LAUR) by 41.7% during the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 127,409 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 37,516 shares during the period. AlphaQuest LLC’s holdings in Laureate Education were worth $4,018,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. boosted its stake in Laureate Education by 3.7% during the 2nd quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 13,598 shares of the company’s stock valued at $318,000 after purchasing an additional 480 shares during the last quarter. DNB Asset Management AS boosted its position in shares of Laureate Education by 0.5% during the second quarter. DNB Asset Management AS now owns 113,443 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,652,000 after buying an additional 563 shares during the last quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust grew its holdings in Laureate Education by 11.8% during the second quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 6,031 shares of the company’s stock worth $141,000 after buying an additional 636 shares in the last quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System grew its holdings in Laureate Education by 0.5% during the second quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 126,399 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,955,000 after buying an additional 658 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC boosted its holdings in Laureate Education by 8.8% during the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC now owns 15,555 shares of the company’s stock worth $364,000 after acquiring an additional 1,264 shares during the last quarter. 96.27% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Laureate Education Trading Up 0.4%

Shares of LAUR stock opened at $34.32 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06. The firm has a market cap of $5.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.05 and a beta of 0.60. The company has a 50 day moving average of $33.25 and a 200-day moving average of $29.75. Laureate Education has a 12-month low of $17.91 and a 12-month high of $36.34.

Laureate Education (NASDAQ:LAUR) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 30th. The company reported $0.23 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.33 by ($0.10). The firm had revenue of $400.20 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $391.77 million. Laureate Education had a net margin of 12.86% and a return on equity of 22.99%. Laureate Education’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.56 earnings per share. Sell-side 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 authorized a share repurchase program on Thursday, October 30th that allows the company to buyback $150.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization allows the company to buy up to 3.5% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are typically a sign that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

LAUR has been the subject of several analyst reports. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of Laureate Education from $26.00 to $32.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, October 20th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Laureate Education in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. assumed coverage on shares of Laureate Education in a research report on Wednesday, December 10th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $40.00 target price on the stock. Finally, UBS Group upped their target price on Laureate Education from $36.00 to $39.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the 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 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.