Laureate Education (NASDAQ:LAUR) Price Target Raised to $36.50

Posted by Brian Himes on Oct 18th, 2026

Laureate Education (NASDAQ:LAUR – Free Report) had its target price increased by Morgan Stanley from $34.50 to $36.50 in a research note published on Thursday morning,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an underweight rating on the stock.

LAUR has been the subject of several other reports. Barrington Research started coverage on Laureate Education in a research note on Thursday, July 23rd. They set 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 (a)” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $41.00 price target on shares of Laureate Education in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have assigned a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Laureate Education presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $40.90.

Check Out Our Latest Report on Laureate Education

Laureate Education Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:LAUR opened at $38.61 on Thursday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $37.55 and a 200-day moving average of $35.98. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.32 billion, a PE ratio of 17.31, a PEG ratio of 1.22 and a beta of 0.41. The company has a current ratio of 0.71, a quick ratio of 0.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14. Laureate Education has a 12 month low of $24.98 and a 12 month high of $40.92.

Laureate Education (NASDAQ:LAUR – Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The company reported $1.00 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.96 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $615.90 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $607.56 million. Laureate Education had a net margin of 17.57% and a return on equity of 23.54%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 17.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.79 EPS. Laureate Education has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.040-2.100 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that Laureate Education will post 2.13 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Laureate Education news, Director Ian Snow sold 427,019 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, September 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $36.26, for a total value of $15,483,708.94. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 1,646,324 shares in the company, valued at approximately $59,695,708.24. This trade represents a 20.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders sold 521,229 shares of company stock valued at $19,103,350 in the last ninety days. 1.50% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Laureate Education

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in LAUR. Ninety One UK Ltd lifted its holdings in Laureate Education by 34.5% in the third quarter. Ninety One UK Ltd now owns 3,842,476 shares of the company’s stock valued at $146,629,000 after buying an additional 984,671 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its holdings in Laureate Education by 736.0% during the 1st quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 726,646 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,316,000 after acquiring an additional 639,726 shares during the period. Neumeier Poma Investment Counsel LLC acquired a new stake in Laureate Education during the 2nd quarter worth about $19,142,456. Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its holdings in Laureate Education by 39.8% during the 1st quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 1,155,090 shares of the company’s stock worth $40,243,000 after acquiring an additional 328,609 shares during the period. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. grew its holdings in Laureate Education by 83.9% during the 1st quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 547,194 shares of the company’s stock worth $19,064,000 after acquiring an additional 249,615 shares during the period. 96.27% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Laureate Education

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Laureate Education, Inc is a provider of higher education services that operates universities and other postsecondary institutions. Through its network of institutions, the company offers undergraduate and graduate degree programs, professional education, and related academic services in fields such as business, health sciences, engineering, technology, and social sciences.

Laureate primarily serves students in Latin America, with operations in Mexico and Peru. Its institutions deliver programs through in-person, online, and blended learning formats, and are intended to serve both traditional university students and working professionals.

The company traces its roots to Sylvan Learning Systems, which expanded internationally and adopted the Laureate name in 2004.