Laureate Education (NASDAQ:LAUR) Stock Rating Lowered by Zacks Research

Laureate Education (NASDAQ:LAUR) was downgraded by stock analysts at Zacks Research from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a note issued to investors on Wednesday,Zacks.com reports.

Several other analysts have also recently commented on LAUR. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Laureate Education from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, February 14th. UBS Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Laureate Education in a research note on Tuesday, February 24th. Morgan Stanley boosted 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 note on Wednesday, February 18th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of Laureate Education from $40.00 to $41.50 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 11th. Finally, Weiss Ratings cut shares of Laureate Education from a “buy (a-)” rating to a “buy (b+)” rating in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $39.63.

Laureate Education Trading Down 4.7%

Shares of Laureate Education stock opened at $30.09 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06, a current ratio of 0.67 and a quick ratio of 0.67. Laureate Education has a 1 year low of $19.71 and a 1 year high of $37.91. The company has a market capitalization of $4.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.67 and a beta of 0.56. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $33.37 and a 200 day moving average price of $32.77.

Laureate Education (NASDAQ:LAUR) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported ($0.17) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.24) by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $272.61 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $265.06 million. Laureate Education had a return on equity of 23.50% and a net margin of 16.55%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up 15.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted ($0.13) EPS. Laureate Education has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.000-2.080 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Laureate Education will post 2.13 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Laureate Education

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund purchased a new position in Laureate Education in the 1st quarter valued at about $1,070,000. New York State Teachers Retirement System purchased a new position in Laureate Education in the 1st quarter valued at about $407,000. Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund boosted its position in Laureate Education by 100.0% in the 1st quarter. Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund now owns 30,000 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,045,000 after buying an additional 15,000 shares during the last quarter. Inspire Investing LLC boosted its position in Laureate Education by 6.8% in the 1st quarter. Inspire Investing LLC now owns 14,787 shares of the company’s stock valued at $515,000 after buying an additional 938 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Pictet Asset Management Holding SA boosted its position in Laureate Education by 7.9% in the 1st quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 20,519 shares of the company’s stock valued at $715,000 after buying an additional 1,502 shares during the last quarter. 96.27% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Trending Headlines about Laureate Education

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 results beat expectations: revenue of $272.6M (+15.4% YoY) topped estimates and adjusted EPS came in at ($0.17), beating the consensus loss. The better-than-expected top line and EPS surprise helped show operational momentum. Company Press Release
• Positive Sentiment: Company raised full-year 2026 adjusted EPS guidance to $2.00–$2.08, signaling confidence in profitability versus prior guidance. That upward move on EPS is supportive for longer-term earnings expectations. Earnings Release
• Neutral Sentiment: Profitability metrics look healthy: reported net margin (~16.6%) and ROE (~23.5%) are notable positives, but the company still reported a GAAP loss for the quarter year-over-year. MarketBeat Summary & Call Materials
• Neutral Sentiment: Management hosted the earnings call and published the transcript and slide deck — useful for investors seeking detail on enrollment trends, margins and buyback/capital allocation commentary. Earnings Call Transcript
• Negative Sentiment: Revenue guidance came in light: FY revenue guidance and Q2 revenue range ($597M–$601M) were below consensus (~$609.8M for Q2 and ~$1.9B annual), creating concern that top-line momentum could slow. That gap likely pressured the stock. Zacks Earnings Coverage
• Negative Sentiment: Company still reported a GAAP loss this quarter (EPS negative vs. year-ago), and consensus FY EPS (~2.16) remains slightly above management’s guidance range, leaving downside risk if execution slips. Higher intraday volume suggests selling pressure as investors reprice expectations. TipRanks Notice

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.