Laureate Education (NASDAQ:LAUR) Announces Quarterly Earnings Results, Beats Estimates By $0.07 EPS

Laureate Education (NASDAQ:LAUR) released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday. The company reported ($0.17) EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.24) by $0.07, FiscalAI reports. The company had revenue of $272.61 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $264.98 million. Laureate Education had a net margin of 16.55% and a return on equity of 23.50%. Laureate Education’s revenue for the quarter was up 15.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned ($0.13) EPS. Laureate Education updated its FY 2026 guidance to 2.000-2.080 EPS.

Here are the key takeaways from Laureate Education’s conference call:

• Enrollment intakes met expectations with overall new enrollments up ~9% through April, led by Peru +13% and Mexico +4%, and management reaffirmed full‑year guidance for enrollments, revenue and Adjusted EBITDA.
• Laureate repurchased $105 million of stock in Q1, raised 2026 Adjusted EPS guidance by $0.05, plans further buybacks, and ended the quarter with a strong balance sheet (net debt $60 million and $76 million remaining repurchase authorization).
• Q1 revenue was $273 million with Adjusted EBITDA of negative $2 million; management cited seasonality and ~$9 million of revenue timing shifting into H2 while maintaining full‑year revenue guidance of $1.890–$1.905 billion and Adjusted EBITDA of $583–$593 million.
• Rapid scaling of fully online programs in Peru is the primary growth driver but management warned it will pressure average revenue per student and has higher attrition, and planned campus investments in Mexico (starting Sept.) will weigh on near‑term margins.

Laureate Education Price Performance

NASDAQ LAUR traded down $1.50 on Thursday, hitting $30.09. The stock had a trading volume of 2,322,821 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,268,967. Laureate Education has a 52-week low of $19.71 and a 52-week high of $37.91. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a current ratio of 0.67. The company has a market capitalization of $4.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.67 and a beta of 0.56. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $33.37 and a 200-day moving average of $32.77.

Laureate Education News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 results beat expectations: revenue of $272.6M (+15.4% YoY) topped estimates and adjusted EPS came in at ($0.17), beating the consensus loss. The better-than-expected top line and EPS surprise helped show operational momentum. Company Press Release
• Positive Sentiment: Company raised full-year 2026 adjusted EPS guidance to $2.00–$2.08, signaling confidence in profitability versus prior guidance. That upward move on EPS is supportive for longer-term earnings expectations. Earnings Release
• Neutral Sentiment: Profitability metrics look healthy: reported net margin (~16.6%) and ROE (~23.5%) are notable positives, but the company still reported a GAAP loss for the quarter year-over-year. MarketBeat Summary & Call Materials
• Neutral Sentiment: Management hosted the earnings call and published the transcript and slide deck — useful for investors seeking detail on enrollment trends, margins and buyback/capital allocation commentary. Earnings Call Transcript
• Negative Sentiment: Revenue guidance came in light: FY revenue guidance and Q2 revenue range ($597M–$601M) were below consensus (~$609.8M for Q2 and ~$1.9B annual), creating concern that top-line momentum could slow. That gap likely pressured the stock. Zacks Earnings Coverage
• Negative Sentiment: Company still reported a GAAP loss this quarter (EPS negative vs. year-ago), and consensus FY EPS (~2.16) remains slightly above management’s guidance range, leaving downside risk if execution slips. Higher intraday volume suggests selling pressure as investors reprice expectations. TipRanks Notice

Institutional Trading of Laureate Education

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Occudo Quantitative Strategies LP purchased a new stake in Laureate Education in the 4th quarter worth approximately $853,000. Sciencast Management LP raised its position in shares of Laureate Education by 42.3% during the 4th quarter. Sciencast Management LP now owns 17,221 shares of the company’s stock valued at $580,000 after buying an additional 5,121 shares in the last quarter. Boothbay Fund Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Laureate Education during the 4th quarter valued at $532,000. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Laureate Education by 3.3% during the 3rd quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 14,053 shares of the company’s stock valued at $443,000 after buying an additional 455 shares in the last quarter. Finally, CIBC Bancorp USA Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Laureate Education during the 3rd quarter valued at $433,000. 96.27% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently commented on LAUR shares. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Laureate Education from a “buy (a-)” rating to a “buy (b+)” rating in a report on Friday, April 24th. Zacks Research raised shares of Laureate Education from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 20th. BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on shares of Laureate Education from $40.00 to $43.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, March 26th. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on shares of Laureate Education from $32.00 to $36.50 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of Laureate Education from $40.00 to $41.50 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 11th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have assigned a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $39.63.

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.