Laureate Education (NASDAQ:LAUR) Shares Gap Down After Earnings Miss

Laureate Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:LAUR)’s stock price gapped down before the market opened on Thursday after the company announced weaker than expected quarterly earnings. The stock had previously closed at $14.59, but opened at $13.52. Laureate Education shares last traded at $14.10, with a volume of 270,865 shares.

The company reported ($0.07) earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.05 by ($0.12). Laureate Education had a return on equity of 13.87% and a net margin of 8.19%. The business had revenue of $275.40 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $269.35 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned ($0.17) EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.6% compared to the same quarter last year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, TheStreet upgraded shares of Laureate Education from a “c+” rating to a “b” rating in a report on Monday, February 26th.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Laureate Education

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its holdings in shares of Laureate Education by 0.3% in the third quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 1,898,493 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,769,000 after purchasing an additional 5,962 shares during the period. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank raised its position in Laureate Education by 30.5% during the 3rd quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 24,806 shares of the company’s stock worth $350,000 after buying an additional 5,793 shares during the last quarter. Inspire Investing LLC acquired a new stake in Laureate Education during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $308,000. Teacher Retirement System of Texas lifted its stake in Laureate Education by 12.0% during the 3rd quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas now owns 225,560 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,180,000 after acquiring an additional 24,098 shares during the period. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Laureate Education by 3.8% in the 3rd quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 87,502 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,234,000 after acquiring an additional 3,198 shares during the last quarter. 96.27% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Laureate Education Price Performance

The stock has a market cap of $2.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.24 and a beta of 0.74. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $14.11 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $13.61. The company has a quick ratio of 0.50, a current ratio of 0.50 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12.

About Laureate Education

Laureate Education, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, offers higher education programs and services to students through a network of universities and higher education institutions. The company provides a range of undergraduate and graduate degree programs in the areas of business and management, medicine and health sciences, and engineering and information technology through campus-based, online, and hybrid programs.