Aberdeen Group plc Increases Stake in Laureate Education $LAUR

Aberdeen Group plc raised its holdings in shares of Laureate Education (NASDAQ:LAUR) by 7.3% in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 261,269 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 17,867 shares during the quarter. Aberdeen Group plc’s holdings in Laureate Education were worth $8,250,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Allianz Asset Management GmbH raised its holdings in Laureate Education by 219.5% in the 3rd quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 213,338 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,729,000 after acquiring an additional 146,565 shares during the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Laureate Education by 50.3% during the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 59,552 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,878,000 after purchasing an additional 19,942 shares during the last quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans purchased a new stake in shares of Laureate Education in the third quarter valued at approximately $4,389,000. Nordea Investment Management AB increased its holdings in shares of Laureate Education by 273.4% in the third quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 158,070 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,962,000 after purchasing an additional 115,732 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Aviva PLC acquired a new stake in shares of Laureate Education in the second quarter valued at approximately $488,000. 96.27% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Laureate Education News

Here are the key news stories impacting Laureate Education this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 revenue beat and strong top‑line growth — Q4 revenue of $541.4M topped consensus and rose ~28% year‑over‑year, a key driver for investor confidence in growth momentum. Laureate Education Reports Financial Results for the Fourth Quarter and Full‑Year 2025 and Provides 2026 Outlook
• Positive Sentiment: Share repurchase expansion — company increased its buyback authorization by $150M, which supports EPS per share and is typically viewed positively by the market. GlobeNewswire: Laureate Education Reports Financial Results…
• Positive Sentiment: FY‑2026 guidance looks constructive — management set EPS guidance of $1.95–$2.03 and lifted revenue targets to roughly $1.9B, roughly in line with or above some sell‑side expectations, supporting a positive medium‑term outlook. Laureate projects 11%-12% revenue growth in 2026…
• Neutral Sentiment: EPS essentially in line — Q4 EPS of $0.76 met consensus, so upside was driven by revenue rather than an EPS surprise; investors may be waiting for margin or cadence clarity. Laureate Education: Q4 Earnings Snapshot
• Neutral Sentiment: Management is investing in digital and campus expansion — the company signaled continued investment behind growth initiatives (11–12% revenue growth target for 2026), which supports long‑term upside but may weigh on near‑term margins. Laureate Education shares rise 4% on strong revenue growth…
• Negative Sentiment: Near‑term guidance and messaging caused confusion — some headlines noted an “earnings miss” and there are inconsistent/unclear Q1 guidance figures in reports that likely prompted profit‑taking and volatility today. (Investors react negatively to mixed or unclear short‑term guidance.)
• Negative Sentiment: Mixed market reaction despite positives — elevated trading volume and contradictory takes (some outlets flagged a miss while others highlighted revenue beat) created short‑term selling pressure as the market digests the detail from the earnings call and slides. Laureate Education, Inc. Q4 2025 Earnings Call Summary

Laureate Education Price Performance

Shares of LAUR opened at $32.83 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $34.40 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $31.00. The stock has a market cap of $4.84 billion, a PE ratio of 17.10 and a beta of 0.57. Laureate Education has a 1-year low of $17.91 and a 1-year high of $37.91. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06, a current ratio of 0.81 and a quick ratio of 0.81.

Laureate Education (NASDAQ:LAUR) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 19th. The company reported $0.76 EPS for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.76. The firm had revenue of $541.39 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $527.10 million. Laureate Education had a net margin of 16.55% and a return on equity of 24.42%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 27.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.62 EPS. Laureate Education has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.950-2.030 EPS. As a group, analysts forecast that Laureate Education will post 1.51 EPS for the current year.

Laureate Education announced that its board has initiated a stock buyback plan on Thursday, October 30th that permits the company to repurchase $150.00 million in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the company to reacquire up to 3.5% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are often a sign that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

LAUR has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on Laureate Education from $32.00 to $36.50 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. started coverage on shares of Laureate Education in a report on Wednesday, December 10th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $40.00 price objective for the company. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Laureate Education from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 14th. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Laureate Education from $36.00 to $39.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Laureate Education in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $34.88.

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.