Laureate Education, Inc. (LAUR) AI Stock Analysis

Laureate Education, Inc. operates as a provider of higher education programs and services across a network of universities and institutions worldwide. Headquartered in Miami, Florida, the company offers undergraduate and graduate degree programs in fields such as business and management, medicine and health sciences, and engineering and information technology. Programs are delivered through campus-based, online, and hybrid formats, serving students primarily in Mexico, Peru, and the United States. Founded in 1989 as Sylvan Learning Systems, Inc., the company rebranded in May 2004 to focus on higher education and professional career preparation.

Between FY2021 and FY2025, revenue increased from $1.09B to $1.70B, reflecting a 5-year revenue CAGR of 10.7%. Annual revenue growth was 19.5% in FY2023, 5.5% in FY2024, and 8.6% in FY2025. Operating margin rose from -0.4% in FY2021 to 25.3% in FY2025, while net income grew from $192.4M to $281.6M over the same period. For the trailing twelve months, revenue reached $1.83B with an operating margin of 36.3% and a net profit margin of 17.6%. For the latest quarter ended June 30, 2026, quarterly revenue increased 17.5% year-over-year and quarterly earnings grew 50.8%.

As of June 30, 2026, Laureate Education held $161.7M in cash and short-term investments and $734.0M in total debt, resulting in net debt of $572.3M. Shareholders' equity was $1.14B against total assets of $2.42B, with a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.64 and a current ratio of 0.71. During FY2025, operating cash flow reached $366.2M and free cash flow was $263.1M. Cash deployment in FY2025 included $103.0M in capital expenditures, $215.2M in share buybacks, and $455,000 in dividends paid.

Laureate Education trades at a trailing P/E of 17.6x and a forward P/E of 15.3x, compared to peer medians of 18.6x and 14.3x, respectively, for the US-listed Consumer Defensive peer group. Its price-to-sales ratio is 2.9x, above the peer median of 0.7x, while its EV-to-EBITDA multiple is 9.7x versus the peer median of 11.7x. Over the past year, the stock returned 31.6%, compared to a 16.8% return for the S&P 500 (SPY). Over five years, the stock returned 379.7% against 83.0% for the S&P 500.

Analyst ratings stand at 3 Strong Buy, 2 Buy, 1 Hold, 0 Sell, and 1 Strong Sell. The mean price target is $41.50, representing a 7.5% upside relative to the last closing price of $38.61 on October 16, 2026. For the fiscal year ending December 31, 2026, consensus estimates project revenue of $1.93B and EPS of $2.12. The company beat EPS estimates in 3 of the last 4 quarters, and the next earnings date is October 29, 2026.

This page is an AI-written research summary of Laureate Education, Inc. (LAUR). The text was generated on October 30, 2026 from Quotelinks data as of October 16, 2026 (company profile, annual results, latest balance sheet, valuation, price performance and analyst estimates). An automatic check rejects any draft that contains a figure not found in that data. It is not investment advice; verify figures on the linked tabs before making decisions.

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