Laureate Education
LAUR on Nasdaq. Laureate Education sells university degrees to students in Mexico and Peru. Market value $5.3bn.
Price checks use the past 12 months to June 2026. Quality checks use five annual reports, the latest for the year to December 2025.
Should I look at this?
Worth a closer look
Why it could be worth it
What to watch out for
Nothing stood out in the numbers we check.
This is not advice. Check the numbers below.
For every $100 of what the whole company costs, it produced $5.44 of spare cash in the past 12 months. A savings account pays about $4.
You pay 12.0 years of operating profit for the business. The average large US company costs around 18.
Each dollar kept in the business earns 26 cents a year. Above 10 is good.
Quality score: 96 of 100. Price score: 96 of 100. Our list needs 70 on quality and 60 on price.
$38.25 a share, 53% above its 1-year low
Over the past year the price has ranged from $24.98 to $40.92.
Prices from Tuesday’s close (6 October).
Five years of cash, in billions
| Revenue | |||||
| Revenue | $1.1bn | $1.2bn | $1.5bn | $1.6bn | $1.7bn |
| Operating margin | |||||
| Operating margin | -0.4% | 21.7% | 22.8% | 23.9% | 25.3% |
| Debt to equity | |||||
| Debt to equity | 0.14 | 0.30 | 0.18 | 0.11 | 0.11 |
| Shares outstanding | |||||
| Shares outstanding | 0.16bn | 0.16bn | 0.15bn | 0.15bn | 0.14bn |
Health checks
- Free cash flow positive4 of 5 years
- Accounting looks honest (Beneish)Not enough data
- Financial strength (Piotroski)7 of 9
- Profit backed by cash (accruals)Yes
- Debt0.11× equity
- Revenue growth, five yearsStrong, 10.7% a year
- Buying back its own sharesYes, 16% fewer since 2021
The quarter to June 2026
How the business did, compared with the same quarter a year earlier.
- Sales: $616 million last quarter, up 18% on a year ago.
- Profit: $137 million, up 44% on a year ago.
- It keeps 24 cents of each $1 of sales as operating profit, about the same as a year earlier.
- Spare cash over the past 12 months: $287 million, up from $228 million.
- 5% fewer shares than a year ago. Each share owns a bit more of the company.
- Debt is $87 million more than cash. A year ago it had $19 million more cash than debt.
- Sales grew on a year ago in each of the last 4 quarters.
| Quarter to | Amount |
|---|---|
| September 2024 | $369m |
| December 2024 | $423m |
| March 2025 | $236m |
| June 2025 | $524m |
| September 2025 | $400m |
| December 2025 | $541m |
| March 2026 | $273m |
| June 2026 | $616m |
| Quarter to | Amount |
|---|---|
| September 2024 | $85m |
| December 2024 | $94m |
| March 2025 | -$19m |
| June 2025 | $95m |
| September 2025 | $34m |
| December 2025 | $172m |
| March 2026 | -$22m |
| June 2026 | $137m |
From the company's quarterly reports to the SEC.
Dates
- Next results (estimated)
- n/a
- Last annual report (10-K)
- 19 February 2026
- Next quarterly (estimated, 10-Q)
- 29 October 2026
Who owns it
7 long-term investors we follow own it, unchanged from 7 last quarter. 338 funds in all.
- Mondrian Investment PartnersMondrian team
- Value
- $31,816
- Share of fund
- <0.1%
| Fund | Value | Share of that fund | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boston PartnersBoston Partners team | $52m | <0.1% | Added |
| Marathon Asset ManagementNeil Ostrer | $51m | 2.1% | Cut |
| Hotchkis & WileyHotchkis & Wiley team | $3m | <0.1% | Cut |
| Polaris Capital ManagementBernard Horn | $2m | 0.2% | Cut |
| Dodge & CoxDodge & Cox investment committee | $987,904 | <0.1% | Added |
| Cullen Capital ManagementJames Cullen | $592,742 | <0.1% | Cut |
| Mondrian Investment PartnersMondrian team | $31,816 | <0.1% |
Largest holders overall
- FMR$739mAdded
- BlackRock$737mCut
- Vanguard Portfolio Management$246mCut
- CPV Partners$207m
- Vanguard Capital Management$198mCut
- State Street$186m
- Dimensional Fund Advisors LP$153m
- Geode Capital Management$136m
- Ninety One UK$104mNew
- Van Berkom & Associates$99mCut
From 13F filings for the quarter ended 30 June 2026.
Big holders and activists
4 investors own more than 5%.
- FMR LLCPassive investorat least 14.5%+1.2 pts(filed with 1 related holder)Since 30 June 2026
- BlackRock, Inc.Passive investor13.4%+6.9 ptsSince 31 March 2026
- CPV Partners, LLCPassive investorat least 12.1%(filed with 1 related holder)Since 1 March 2024
- Wengen Alberta, LPPassive investorat least 7.0%−1.3 pts(filed with 1 related holder)Since 7 August 2026
What they said
On August 7, 2026, CPV HOLDINGS, LLC, LAUREATE CO-INVESTORS I, LIMITED PARTNERSHIP, S.P.G. CO-INVESTMENT, L.P., SNOW PHIPPS GROUP (B), L.P., SNOW PHIPPS GROUP (OFFSHORE), L.P., SNOW PHIPPS GROUP (RPV), L.P., SNOW PHIPPS GROUP, L.P ("Requesting Investors") elected to have certain…
Read the filing - The Vanguard GroupPassive investorSold down below 5%Since 13 March 2026
| Holder | Stake | Since | |
|---|---|---|---|
FMR LLC Passive investor | at least 14.5%+1.2 pts (filed with 1 related holder) | 30 June 2026 | |
BlackRock, Inc. Passive investor | 13.4%+6.9 pts | 31 March 2026 | |
CPV Partners, LLC Passive investor | at least 12.1% (filed with 1 related holder) | 1 March 2024 | |
Wengen Alberta, LP Passive investor | at least 7.0%−1.3 pts (filed with 1 related holder) | 7 August 2026 | What they saidOn August 7, 2026, CPV HOLDINGS, LLC, LAUREATE CO-INVESTORS I, LIMITED PARTNERSHIP, S.P.G. CO-INVESTMENT, L.P., SNOW PHIPPS GROUP (B), L.P., SNOW PHIPPS GROUP (OFFSHORE), L.P., SNOW PHIPPS GROUP (RPV), L.P., SNOW PHIPPS GROUP, L.P ("Requesting Investors") elected to have certain… Read the filing |
The Vanguard Group Passive investor | Sold down below 5% | 13 March 2026 |
From Schedule 13D and 13G filings: anyone owning more than 5% must file one.
What insiders did
No insider bought shares on the open market in the last 12 months. 4 sold $24m, $466,995 of it under preset trading plans.
- Snow Ian KendellDirectorSold
- Date
- 2 September 2026
- Shares
- 427,019
- Price
- $36.26
- Value
- $15m
- Snow Ian KendellDirectorSold
- Date
- 1 September 2026
- Shares
- 2,654
- Price
- $38.11
- Value
- $101,157
- Snow Ian KendellDirectorSold
- Date
- 31 August 2026
- Shares
- 91,556
- Price
- $38.43
- Value
- $4m
- Cardoso MarceloEVP & CHIEF OPERATING OFFICERSoldunder a preset trading plan
- Date
- 17 March 2026
- Shares
- 7,300
- Price
- $33.91
- Value
- $247,543
- Buskirk Richard M.SVP & CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICERSold
- Date
- 11 March 2026
- Shares
- 61,803
- Price
- $33.69
- Value
- $2m
- Cardoso MarceloEVP & CHIEF OPERATING OFFICERSoldunder a preset trading plan
- Date
- 2 January 2026
- Shares
- 6,543
- Price
- $33.54
- Value
- $219,452
- RODIN JUDITHDirectorSold
- Date
- 8 December 2025
- Shares
- 7,065
- Price
- $30.30
- Value
- $214,070
- Cardoso MarceloCHIEF OPERATING OFFICERSold
- Date
- 4 November 2025
- Shares
- 70,000
- Price
- $29.00
- Value
- $2m
| Date | Who | Did | Shares | Price | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 September 2026 | Snow Ian Kendell Director | Sold | 427,019 | $36.26 | $15m |
| 1 September 2026 | Snow Ian Kendell Director | Sold | 2,654 | $38.11 | $101,157 |
| 31 August 2026 | Snow Ian Kendell Director | Sold | 91,556 | $38.43 | $4m |
| 17 March 2026 | Cardoso Marcelo EVP & CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER | Sold under a preset trading plan | 7,300 | $33.91 | $247,543 |
| 11 March 2026 | Buskirk Richard M. SVP & CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER | Sold | 61,803 | $33.69 | $2m |
| 2 January 2026 | Cardoso Marcelo EVP & CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER | Sold under a preset trading plan | 6,543 | $33.54 | $219,452 |
| 8 December 2025 | RODIN JUDITH Director | Sold | 7,065 | $30.30 | $214,070 |
| 4 November 2025 | Cardoso Marcelo CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER | Sold | 70,000 | $29.00 | $2m |
From Form 4 filings: insiders must report trades in their own company's shares within two days.
Warning signs in its filings
Problems the company itself reported to the SEC, in its own words.
None of the warning signs we check for were found.
We look for five warning signs: doubt it can keep going, weak checks on its own accounts, a notice that its past accounts can't be relied on, a change of auditor, and one customer bringing in a big share of sales. We don't check lawsuits, investigations or debt yet.
We checked the auditor's report, internal controls, restatement notices, auditor changes and big customers in the 10-K filed 19 Feb 2026, plus the 10-Q filed 30 Jul 2026 and 3 later 8-Ks.
A 10-K is the yearly report every US company files with the SEC. An 8-K is a short notice of a big event.
What could go wrong
Cheap for a reason is the question the numbers cannot answer.
Whether the price already reflects the risks is what the deep dive is for.
What changed in the risks this year
Companies must list what could hurt them each year. These are the parts that changed since last year’s report.
The amount and frequency of our share repurchases and dividends are affected by a number of factors and may fluctuate.
Could happenAlthough historically we have announced special cash dividend payments and we have currently adopted a share repurchase program, we are not obligated to pay cash dividends or to repurchase a specified number or dollar value of shares under our share repurchase program or at all. The level of dividends and amount, timing, and purchases under our share repurchase program, if any, are influenced by many factors and may fluctuate based on our operating results, cash flows, and priorities for the use of cash, the market price of our common stock, and, with respect to share repurchases, our possession of potentially material nonpublic information. In addition, we cannot guarantee that our share repurchase program will be fully consummated or that it will enhance long-term shareholder value.
Read more
The deep dive
Everything above is arithmetic on public filings. The deep dive reads the last ten years of annual reports, the proxy statements, and the earnings calls, then argues the case the way Buffett, Klarman, and Hohn would, and checks every claim against the source.
- What the business is worth, as a range, and the margin of safety at today’s price
- Prices to start buying, buy, and buy hard
- The three things that would make this a mistake
- Every number footnoted to the filing it came from
Your first deep dive is free.
Not advice. Numbers on this page come from SEC filings and are updated each night; prices are updated again after the US market closes. The five-year figures are rounded.