Short Interest in Laureate Education (NASDAQ:LAUR) Rises By 57.6%
by Michael Walen · The Markets DailyLaureate Education (NASDAQ:LAUR – Get Free Report) was the target of a large growth in short interest in March. As of March 13th, there was short interest totaling 3,104,862 shares, a growth of 57.6% from the February 26th total of 1,970,235 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 2,022,128 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 1.5 days. Approximately 2.2% of the company’s stock are short sold.
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
Several equities analysts have commented on LAUR shares. Zacks Research raised shares of Laureate Education from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 20th. UBS Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Laureate Education in a report on Tuesday, February 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Laureate Education from $40.00 to $41.50 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 11th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on Laureate Education from $40.00 to $43.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday. Finally, Weiss Ratings downgraded Laureate Education from a “buy (a-)” rating to a “buy (b+)” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 12th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have assigned a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Laureate Education presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $39.63.
Read Our Latest Analysis on Laureate Education
Hedge Funds Weigh In On Laureate Education
Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of LAUR. Quarry LP bought a new stake in shares of Laureate Education in the fourth quarter valued at $29,000. Mondrian Investment Partners LTD bought a new position in shares of Laureate Education during the 3rd quarter worth $31,000. Allworth Financial LP grew its stake in shares of Laureate Education by 109.0% during the 4th quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 1,097 shares of the company’s stock worth $37,000 after acquiring an additional 572 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Laureate Education by 328.6% in the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,650 shares of the company’s stock worth $39,000 after acquiring an additional 1,265 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Summit Securities Group LLC purchased a new stake in Laureate Education in the 4th quarter worth about $43,000. 96.27% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.
Laureate Education Stock Performance
NASDAQ LAUR traded down $0.63 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $34.78. 1,163,475 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,970,124. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.11 and a beta of 0.59. The company has a quick ratio of 0.67, a current ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06. Laureate Education has a 1 year low of $17.91 and a 1 year high of $37.91. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $34.11 and its 200-day simple moving average is $32.24.
Laureate Education (NASDAQ:LAUR – Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 19th. The company reported $0.76 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.76. Laureate Education had a net margin of 16.55% and a return on equity of 23.50%. The firm had revenue of $541.39 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $527.10 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.62 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 27.9% on a year-over-year basis. 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 year.
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.