Laureate Education (NASDAQ:LAUR) Reaches New 52-Week High - Still a Buy?

Laureate Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:LAUR - Get Free Report)'s share price reached a new 52-week high on Thursday . The company traded as high as $18.30 and last traded at $17.52, with a volume of 25856 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $15.56.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, Morgan Stanley lowered Laureate Education from an "overweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and set a $17.00 target price on the stock. in a research report on Friday, July 26th.

Laureate Education Stock Up 10.4 %

The company's 50-day moving average is $15.71 and its 200 day moving average is $15.23. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.71 billion, a PE ratio of 23.77 and a beta of 0.82. The company has a current ratio of 0.76, a quick ratio of 0.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22.

Laureate Education (NASDAQ:LAUR - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 1st. The company reported $0.83 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.63 by $0.20. Laureate Education had a net margin of 12.64% and a return on equity of 21.37%. The business had revenue of $499.20 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $483.69 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.35 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 8.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts anticipate that Laureate Education, Inc. will post 1.41 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Laureate Education

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