Phoenix Education Partners (NYSE:PXED) Releases Quarterly Earnings Results, Beats Estimates By $0.24 EPS

Phoenix Education Partners (NYSE:PXED) issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday. The company reported $0.58 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.34 by $0.24, Briefing.com reports. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down .4% on a year-over-year basis.

Here are the key takeaways from Phoenix Education Partners’ conference call:

• Enrollment and retention improved, with average total degreed enrollment up 1.8% in Q2 and retention from the most recent annual cohort rising to 76.6% (≈500 bps YoY), which management says is driving durable enrollment growth.
• Mixed financials — Q2 net revenue was slightly down (-0.4% to $222.5M) while adjusted EBITDA rose 7.8% to $34.8M; net income fell due mainly to higher share-based compensation from the IPO, and full-year guidance was reiterated with revenue expected toward the lower end and adjusted EBITDA toward the upper end of the ranges.
• Employer-affiliated (B2B) students continue to expand, representing 35% of enrollment (vs. 31% a year ago), a channel the company says has higher retention and reinforces revenue durability.
• Strong balance sheet and shareholder returns — cash and marketable securities of about $252.1M, no debt, a new $50M share repurchase authorization, and a maintained quarterly dividend of $0.21 per share.
• Continued investment in technology and AI — the company is deploying AI across onboarding, 24/7 support, advisor productivity, credit evaluation and marketing personalization, which management links to improved student outcomes and margin expansion.

Phoenix Education Partners Trading Down 1.3%

NYSE PXED traded down $0.41 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $31.10. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 112,640 shares, compared to its average volume of 88,365. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22, a quick ratio of 1.88 and a current ratio of 1.88. The company has a 50-day moving average of $29.41. Phoenix Education Partners has a 52 week low of $23.52 and a 52 week high of $47.08. The company has a market cap of $1.11 billion and a PE ratio of 12.85.

Phoenix Education Partners Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 18th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, January 28th were issued a $0.21 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, January 28th. This represents a $0.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.7%. Phoenix Education Partners’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 34.71%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently commented on PXED shares. Zacks Research cut shares of Phoenix Education Partners from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. B. Riley Financial reduced their price target on shares of Phoenix Education Partners from $60.00 to $54.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 9th. Barrington Research reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $45.00 price target on shares of Phoenix Education Partners in a research report on Wednesday, March 25th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Phoenix Education Partners from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday, January 11th. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their price target on shares of Phoenix Education Partners from $45.00 to $46.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 14th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $44.00.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Phoenix Education Partners

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Police & Firemen s Retirement System of New Jersey bought a new position in Phoenix Education Partners in the fourth quarter worth about $40,000. Deutsche Bank AG bought a new position in Phoenix Education Partners in the fourth quarter worth about $89,000. MetLife Investment Management LLC bought a new position in Phoenix Education Partners in the fourth quarter worth about $92,000. Sandia Investment Management LP bought a new position in Phoenix Education Partners in the fourth quarter worth about $161,000. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company MN bought a new position in Phoenix Education Partners in the fourth quarter worth about $165,000.

About Phoenix Education Partners

Our Mission To provide access to higher education opportunities that enable students to develop the knowledge and skills necessary to achieve their professional goals, improve the performance of their organizations and provide leadership and service to their communities. We are a mission-driven organization operating at the forefront of the rapidly evolving post-secondary education market. As one of the largest online education providers and a pioneer in our field, we benefit from the dynamic interplay between technological innovation, education, employment and economic trends.