Laureate Education (NASDAQ:LAUR) Hits New 1-Year High - Here's Why

Shares of Laureate Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:LAUR - Get Free Report) hit a new 52-week high during trading on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $18.49 and last traded at $18.38, with a volume of 2963 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $17.65.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

LAUR has been the topic of a number of research reports. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on shares of Laureate Education from $17.00 to $20.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Morgan Stanley cut shares of Laureate Education from an "overweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and set a $17.00 price objective on the stock. in a research note on Friday, July 26th.

Laureate Education Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15, a quick ratio of 0.63 and a current ratio of 0.63. The company has a market capitalization of $2.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.50 and a beta of 0.82. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $15.92 and a 200-day moving average price of $15.35.

Laureate Education (NASDAQ:LAUR - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 31st. The company reported $0.56 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.16 by $0.40. The firm had revenue of $368.60 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $361.80 million. Laureate Education had a net margin of 15.76% and a return on equity of 27.13%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 2.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.23 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts expect that Laureate Education, Inc. will post 1.42 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of Laureate Education

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in LAUR. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC lifted its position in Laureate Education by 3.2% in the 3rd quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 22,174 shares of the company's stock valued at $368,000 after acquiring an additional 682 shares in the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company boosted its position in shares of Laureate Education by 1.0% during the second quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 74,753 shares of the company's stock worth $1,117,000 after buying an additional 759 shares during the period. Van ECK Associates Corp grew its holdings in shares of Laureate Education by 51.0% during the third quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 2,259 shares of the company's stock worth $36,000 after buying an additional 763 shares in the last quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC raised its position in Laureate Education by 24.4% in the 1st quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 3,889 shares of the company's stock valued at $57,000 after buying an additional 764 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Arizona State Retirement System lifted its stake in Laureate Education by 2.1% in the 2nd quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 37,499 shares of the company's stock valued at $560,000 after acquiring an additional 783 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.27% of the company's stock.

About Laureate Education

Laureate Education, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, offers higher education programs and services to students through a network of universities and higher education institutions. The company provides a range of undergraduate and graduate degree programs in the areas of business and management, medicine and health sciences, and engineering and information technology through campus-based, online, and hybrid programs.