Laureate Education (NASDAQ:LAUR) Updates FY 2026 Earnings Guidance

Laureate Education (NASDAQ:LAUR) issued an update on its FY 2026 earnings guidance on Thursday morning. The company provided earnings per share (EPS) guidance of 1.950-2.030 for the period, compared to the consensus estimate of 1.950. The company issued revenue guidance of $1.9 billion-$1.9 billion, compared to the consensus revenue estimate of $1.8 billion. Laureate Education also updated its Q1 2026 guidance to EPS.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on LAUR shares. UBS Group increased their target price on Laureate Education from $36.00 to $39.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Laureate Education in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. started coverage on Laureate Education in a research report on Wednesday, December 10th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $40.00 price objective for the company. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on shares of Laureate Education from $32.00 to $36.50 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut shares of Laureate Education from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, February 14th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $34.88.

Laureate Education Trading Down 3.4%

NASDAQ:LAUR opened at $32.83 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $4.84 billion, a PE ratio of 17.10 and a beta of 0.57. The company has a quick ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06. Laureate Education has a 52-week low of $17.91 and a 52-week high of $37.91. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $34.40 and a 200-day simple moving average of $31.00.

Laureate Education (NASDAQ:LAUR) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 19th. The company reported $0.76 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.76. The firm had revenue of $541.39 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $527.10 million. Laureate Education had a net margin of 16.55% and a return on equity of 24.42%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 27.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.62 EPS. Laureate Education has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.950-2.030 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that Laureate Education will post 1.51 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Laureate Education announced that its board has approved a stock repurchase plan on Thursday, October 30th that allows the company to repurchase $150.00 million in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the company to purchase up to 3.5% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are usually a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Trending Headlines about 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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Laureate Education

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of LAUR. State Street Corp lifted its position in shares of Laureate Education by 3.3% in the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 3,272,264 shares of the company’s stock valued at $76,506,000 after acquiring an additional 105,712 shares in the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. raised its stake in Laureate Education by 55.7% in the 4th quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 2,266,565 shares of the company’s stock valued at $76,315,000 after purchasing an additional 811,108 shares during the last quarter. Nuveen LLC lifted its holdings in Laureate Education by 7.3% in the 4th quarter. Nuveen LLC now owns 1,827,026 shares of the company’s stock valued at $61,516,000 after purchasing an additional 123,525 shares in the last quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd lifted its holdings in Laureate Education by 113.8% in the 2nd quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd now owns 1,288,851 shares of the company’s stock valued at $30,133,000 after purchasing an additional 685,998 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Jane Street Group LLC boosted its stake in shares of Laureate Education by 54.5% during the 4th quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 769,551 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,911,000 after purchasing an additional 271,392 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.27% of the company’s stock.

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.