Phoenix Education Partners (NYSE:PXED) Announces Quarterly Earnings Results

Phoenix Education Partners (NYSE:PXED) released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday. The company reported $1.38 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.27 by $0.11, Zacks reports. The company had revenue of $262.03 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $257.56 million. Phoenix Education Partners’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.9% compared to the same quarter last year.

Here are the key takeaways from Phoenix Education Partners’ conference call:

• First-quarter net revenue rose 2.9% to $262 million and average total degree enrollment increased 4.1% to 85,600 students, with employer‑affiliated students now ~34% of total enrollment.
• Adjusted EBITDA increased 7.2% to $75.2 million and margin expanded to 28.7%, driven by revenue growth, productivity gains, and lower financial aid processing and bad debt costs.
• The board declared an inaugural regular quarterly cash dividend of approximately $0.21 per share and the company ended the quarter with no debt and ~$218.1 million in cash and marketable securities.
• Regulators reached consensus in Negotiated Rulemaking and the Department of Education’s preliminary program performance metrics (where available) showed all reported University of Phoenix programs passing, reducing near‑term regulatory risk.
• The company disclosed a cybersecurity breach tied to an Oracle EBS zero‑day, recorded $4.5 million of incident expenses (with more possible), though the vulnerability has been remediated and coverage exists under cyber insurance.

Phoenix Education Partners Stock Down 11.2%

PXED opened at $28.16 on Thursday. Phoenix Education Partners has a twelve month low of $23.52 and a twelve month high of $47.08. The firm has a market cap of $1.01 billion and a P/E ratio of 27.08. The company has a quick ratio of 1.64, a current ratio of 1.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

PXED has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Phoenix Education Partners from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday. Zacks Research upgraded Phoenix Education Partners from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 2nd. B. Riley dropped their price objective on shares of Phoenix Education Partners from $60.00 to $54.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 9th. Barrington Research started coverage on shares of Phoenix Education Partners in a report on Thursday, December 4th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $45.00 target price for the company. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group cut their price target on shares of Phoenix Education Partners from $42.00 to $36.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, November 21st. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have assigned a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Phoenix Education Partners currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $44.00.

Key Phoenix Education Partners News

Here are the key news stories impacting Phoenix Education Partners this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 results beat expectations — EPS $1.38 vs. $1.27 consensus; revenue $262.0M vs. $257.6M expected, revenue +2.9% YoY. The beat supports underlying operating momentum. Business Wire Q1 Release
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst support — Barrington reiterated a Buy and kept a $45 target (~42% upside), citing strong enrollment momentum and undervaluation, which could support medium-term upside. Barrington Buy Rating
• Positive Sentiment: Company signaled capital returns confidence (dividend commentary) on the earnings call, suggesting management is comfortable returning cash — a shareholder-friendly move. Dividend Signal Article
• Neutral Sentiment: Earnings call materials posted (slides/transcript) provide more detail for investors to parse execution and outlook; review could reinforce or temper sentiment depending on guidance detail. Earnings Call Presentation
• Neutral Sentiment: Company said it updated FY2026 guidance, but the published entry lacked clear numeric guidance in the summary — uncertainty or a lack of upward revision can leave investors cautious. (Company release / call)
• Negative Sentiment: BMO kept a Buy but lowered its price target to $39 (from a higher level), which is a signal that some analysts are tempering upside expectations — this can damp investor enthusiasm. BMO Rating Note
• Negative Sentiment: Modest revenue growth (2.9% YoY) and a mid‑teens/low‑to‑mid valuation (PE ~27) may be seen as insufficient to justify higher multiples for some investors; combined with partial uncertainty in guidance, that likely drove sell-the-news pressure.

About Phoenix Education Partners

Our Mission To provide access to higher education opportunities that enable students to develop the knowledge and skills necessary to achieve their professional goals, improve the performance of their organizations and provide leadership and service to their communities. We are a mission-driven organization operating at the forefront of the rapidly evolving post-secondary education market. As one of the largest online education providers and a pioneer in our field, we benefit from the dynamic interplay between technological innovation, education, employment and economic trends.