627,500 Laureate Education $LAUR Shares Sold by William Blair Investment Management LLC

William Blair Investment Management LLC reduced its stake in shares of Laureate Education (NASDAQ:LAUR) by 34.0% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,216,438 shares of the company’s stock after selling 627,500 shares during the period. William Blair Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Laureate Education were worth $46,419,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Corient Private Wealth LP bought a new stake in shares of Laureate Education during the 2nd quarter worth about $4,133,000. Paralel Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Laureate Education during the 2nd quarter valued at about $2,410,000. Ninety One UK Ltd raised its stake in shares of Laureate Education by 34.5% in the 3rd quarter. Ninety One UK Ltd now owns 3,842,476 shares of the company’s stock valued at $146,629,000 after acquiring an additional 984,671 shares in the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Laureate Education by 736.0% in the 1st quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 726,646 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,316,000 after acquiring an additional 639,726 shares in the last quarter. Finally, SummerHaven Investment Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Laureate Education in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $1,982,000. 96.27% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Laureate Education Stock Performance

NASDAQ LAUR traded up $0.09 during trading on Friday, hitting $35.03. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,040,993 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,467,901. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $37.00 and a 200 day moving average price of $35.58. The firm has a market cap of $4.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.83, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.10 and a beta of 0.45. The company has a quick ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 0.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16. Laureate Education has a 52 week low of $24.98 and a 52 week high of $40.92.

Laureate Education (NASDAQ:LAUR) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 29th. The company reported $0.52 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.48 by $0.04. Laureate Education had a net margin of 20.28% and a return on equity of 26.41%. The company had revenue of $485.09 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $480.16 million. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.23 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 21.2% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts forecast that Laureate Education will post 2.12 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently weighed in on LAUR. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on Laureate Education from $34.50 to $36.50 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Thursday, October 15th. Weiss Ratings downgraded Laureate Education from a “buy (a)” rating to a “buy (a-)” rating in a report on Friday, October 30th. Barrington Research assumed coverage on shares of Laureate Education in a research report on Thursday, July 23rd. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $45.00 price target on the stock. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut shares of Laureate Education from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $41.00 price objective for the company. in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have issued a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $40.90.

Insider Buying and Selling at Laureate Education

In related news, Director Ian Snow sold 427,019 shares of Laureate Education stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, September 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $36.26, for a total transaction of $15,483,708.94. Following the sale, the director directly owned 1,646,324 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $59,695,708.24. This trade represents a 20.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders have sold a total of 521,229 shares of company stock valued at $19,103,350 in the last three months. 1.50% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Laureate Education Profile

Laureate Education, Inc. operates a network of private higher education institutions in Mexico and Peru. Its principal institutions are Universidad del Valle de México (UVM) and Universidad Peruana de Ciencias Aplicadas (UPC). The company offers undergraduate and graduate degree programs, as well as other academic and professional education, across fields that include business, health sciences, engineering and technology. Its institutions serve students through campus-based and digital learning options.