Laureate Education (NASDAQ:LAUR) Receives Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Shares of Laureate Education (NASDAQ:LAUR) have received a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the six ratings firms that are covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, three have assigned a buy recommendation and one has issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average twelve-month price target among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $34.8750.

A number of research analysts have recently commented on LAUR shares. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on shares of Laureate Education from $32.00 to $36.50 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday. UBS Group boosted their price target on Laureate Education from $36.00 to $39.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Laureate Education from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. began coverage on Laureate Education in a report on Wednesday, December 10th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $40.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded Laureate Education from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (a-)” rating in a research note on Friday.

Key Headlines Impacting Laureate Education

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 Stock Down 3.4%

LAUR opened at $32.83 on Friday. The business has a 50 day moving average of $34.40 and a 200-day moving average of $31.05. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.10 and a beta of 0.57. 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 $37.91.

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

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Laureate Education

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Quarry LP acquired a new stake in shares of Laureate Education during the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. Mondrian Investment Partners LTD bought a new position in Laureate Education during the third quarter worth about $31,000. Allworth Financial LP boosted its holdings in Laureate Education by 109.0% during the fourth quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 1,097 shares of the company’s stock valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 572 shares in the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Laureate Education by 328.6% during the second 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Summit Securities Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Laureate Education in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $43,000. 96.27% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.