Laureate Education (NASDAQ:LAUR) Reaches New 1-Year High Following Better-Than-Expected Earnings

Laureate Education (NASDAQ:LAUR)’s share price hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Thursday following a better than expected earnings announcement. The stock traded as high as $40.93 and last traded at $39.7180, with a volume of 216963 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $38.41.

The company reported $1.00 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.96 by $0.04. Laureate Education had a net margin of 16.08% and a return on equity of 22.07%. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.79 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 17.5% on a year-over-year basis. Laureate Education has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.040-2.100 EPS.

Laureate Education News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Second-quarter revenue increased 17% year over year to $615.9 million, while net income rose 41% to $137.1 million. Adjusted EBITDA climbed 17% to $250.6 million, and adjusted EPS of $1.00 exceeded the $0.96 consensus estimate. Laureate Education second-quarter results
• Positive Sentiment: Underlying demand remained healthy: first-half new enrollments grew 10% and total enrollments increased 6% to 501,400 students, supporting expectations for continued revenue growth. Laureate Education enrollment and guidance update
• Positive Sentiment: Laureate raised its fiscal 2026 outlook to $1.920 billion-$1.930 billion in revenue, $593 million-$599 million in adjusted EBITDA and $2.04-$2.10 in adjusted EPS, citing stronger operations and favorable foreign exchange. It also authorized an additional $150 million for share repurchases after buying back approximately $76 million of stock during the first half. Laureate Education earnings call
• Positive Sentiment: A new three-year agreement with Google Cloud will expand AI-powered learning, digital capabilities and career-focused programs across Laureate’s universities, potentially strengthening its competitive position over time. Laureate Education Google Cloud partnership
• Neutral Sentiment: First-half reported growth benefited substantially from currency movements; revenue increased 6% on a constant-currency basis. Approximately $9 million of revenue and adjusted EBITDA was deferred by academic-calendar timing, although management expects the impact to reverse in the second half.
• Negative Sentiment: The new adjusted EPS outlook of $2.04-$2.10 remains below the $2.13 analyst consensus, and third-quarter revenue guidance of $471 million-$476 million is below the $481 million consensus, potentially limiting near-term upside.
• Negative Sentiment: Gross debt increased to approximately $223.2 million, while recent reported insider activity consisted of sales rather than purchases. These factors may temper investor enthusiasm despite the strong operating results.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently commented on LAUR shares. Zacks Research lowered Laureate Education from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. Weiss Ratings upgraded Laureate Education from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 2nd. UBS Group lifted their price objective on Laureate Education from $37.50 to $39.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. Barrington Research initiated coverage on shares of Laureate Education in a report on Thursday, July 23rd. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $45.00 target price on the stock. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on shares of Laureate Education from $41.50 to $41.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, June 4th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $40.50.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Laureate Education

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of LAUR. William Blair Investment Management LLC raised its position in Laureate Education by 52.6% in the 4th quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC now owns 2,654,708 shares of the company’s stock valued at $89,384,000 after purchasing an additional 915,358 shares during the last quarter. Neumeier Poma Investment Counsel LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Laureate Education in the fourth quarter valued at $27,554,000. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Laureate Education by 55.7% in the fourth quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 2,266,565 shares of the company’s stock valued at $76,315,000 after buying an additional 811,108 shares in the last quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd raised its holdings in shares of Laureate Education by 113.8% in the second quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd now owns 1,288,851 shares of the company’s stock valued at $30,133,000 after buying an additional 685,998 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Laureate Education by 736.0% in the first quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 726,646 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,316,000 after buying an additional 639,726 shares during the last quarter. 96.27% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Laureate Education Trading Up 3.3%

The company’s 50-day moving average is $36.29 and its 200-day moving average is $34.63. The firm has a market cap of $5.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.74, a P/E/G ratio of 1.21 and a beta of 0.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15, a quick ratio of 0.57 and a current ratio of 0.57.

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.