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

Laureate Education (NASDAQ:LAUR) updated its FY 2026 earnings guidance on Thursday. The company provided earnings per share guidance of 2.040-2.100 for the period, compared to the consensus estimate of 2.130. The company issued revenue guidance of $1.9 billion-$1.9 billion, compared to the consensus revenue estimate of $1.9 billion. Laureate Education also updated its Q3 2026 guidance to EPS.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Barrington Research started coverage on shares of Laureate Education in a research note on Thursday, July 23rd. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $45.00 target price for the company. Weiss Ratings upgraded Laureate Education from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a report on Thursday, July 2nd. UBS Group increased their price target on Laureate Education from $37.50 to $39.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Morgan Stanley downgraded shares of Laureate Education from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating and set a $34.50 target price for the company. in a report on Monday. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on Laureate Education from $41.50 to $41.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, June 4th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $40.50.

Laureate Education Price Performance

Laureate Education stock traded down $0.28 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $38.13. 503,123 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,429,834. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $36.40 and a two-hundred day moving average of $34.65. The company has a market cap of $5.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.13, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.23 and a beta of 0.40. The company has a current ratio of 0.57, a quick ratio of 0.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15. Laureate Education has a twelve month low of $21.53 and a twelve month high of $40.92.

Laureate Education (NASDAQ:LAUR) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 30th. The company reported $1.00 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.96 by $0.04. Laureate Education had a net margin of 16.08% and a return on equity of 22.07%. The business had revenue of $615.90 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $607.56 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.79 earnings per share. The company’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. Equities analysts expect that Laureate Education will post 2.09 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Laureate Education News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q2 results exceeded estimates: Revenue rose 17% year over year to $615.9 million, topping the $607.6 million consensus estimate, while earnings reached $1.00 per share versus expectations of $0.96. Net income increased 41% to $137.1 million, and adjusted EBITDA rose 17% to $250.6 million. Laureate Education Q2 earnings report
• Positive Sentiment: Demand and profitability remain strong: First-half new enrollments rose 10% and total enrollment increased 6% to 501,400 students. Management also cited continued campus and digital expansion, while operating income climbed to $223.4 million in the quarter. Laureate Education financial results
• Positive Sentiment: Share repurchases were expanded: Laureate authorized an additional $150 million for its buyback program after repurchasing approximately $76 million of stock during the first six months. The move signals confidence in cash generation and should support per-share earnings. Laureate expands buyback
• Neutral Sentiment: Full-year outlook was raised modestly: Laureate now expects 2026 revenue of $1.920 billion-$1.930 billion, adjusted EBITDA of $593 million-$599 million and adjusted EPS of $2.04-$2.10. The outlook assumes favorable foreign-exchange rates, while academic-calendar timing reduced first-half revenue and EBITDA by roughly $9 million; management expects that impact to reverse in the second half.
• Negative Sentiment: Guidance was below some investor expectations: The adjusted EPS range trails the $2.13 consensus estimate, and third-quarter revenue guidance of $471 million-$476 million is below the approximately $481 million analyst forecast. This likely explains the muted stock reaction despite the quarterly beat. Laureate Education outlook
• Negative Sentiment: Leverage increased: Gross debt was $223.2 million at June 30, up from $127.7 million at year-end, although net debt remained relatively modest at $61.5 million.

Institutional Trading of Laureate Education

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Quarry LP bought a new stake in shares of Laureate Education during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Summit Securities Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Laureate Education during the fourth quarter worth $43,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Laureate Education by 328.6% in the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,650 shares of the company’s stock valued at $39,000 after acquiring an additional 1,265 shares during the last quarter. Mcguire Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Laureate Education during the 4th quarter valued at $100,000. Finally, Van ECK Associates Corp boosted its holdings in shares of Laureate Education by 26.2% during the 3rd quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 3,617 shares of the company’s stock valued at $114,000 after acquiring an additional 751 shares in the last quarter. 96.27% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Laureate Education

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.