At a glance
Laureate Education Inc is worth $4.94B, about 19 times its fiscal 2025 earnings. Revenue grew 8.6% to $1.70B in fiscal 2025, with 16.5% kept as profit; over 5 years it has grown 10.7% a year. It pays no dividend; it spent $979.9M buying back its shares over FY2021–FY2025. The stock returned +21.8% over the past year with dividends reinvested and +34.6% a year over five years, against +11.5% and +11.7% for the S&P 500. At its worst it fell 62.6% in the 2020 crash (S&P 500: 33.7%) and 18.9% in the 2022 bear market (S&P 500: 24.5%), and was back at its earlier high 21 months and 4 months after the lows.
The business in plain English
Laureate Education runs five private higher-education institutions in Mexico and Peru, which it calls the Laureate International Universities network. As of December 31, 2025, about 497,700 students were enrolled across more than 50 campuses. They study for undergraduate and graduate degrees on campus, online or in a mix of both (hybrid), and the average program lasts four years. Medicine and health sciences, engineering and IT, and business and management account for about 75% of enrollments. The network includes 24 medical schools and nine dental schools.
The company earns its money from tuition. Essentially all revenue in fiscal 2025 came from students and families paying privately, because Mexico and Peru have no material government student loan programs. The company says its multi-year programs and strong retention give it good visibility into future revenue. In each country it runs both premium brands and lower-priced value brands, so it can reach students at different price points.
The two reporting segments are almost equal in size. In fiscal 2025, Mexico brought in $877 million, or 51.6% of $1.70 billion in revenue, and Peru brought in $824 million, or 48.4%. Mexico has Universidad del Valle de México (UVM, 132,200 students) and UNITEC (137,200), which the company describes as the country's largest private university. Peru has UPC (78,400), UPN (129,900) and the technical-vocational institute CIBERTEC (20,000).
Price history
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LAUR +21.8% over the year to Oct 28, 2026, total return with dividends reinvested.
How it makes money
By business segment
| Mexico | $877.4M | 51.6% |
| Peru | $824.4M | 48.4% |
By geography
| Mexico | $877.4M | 51.6% |
| Peru | $824.4M | 48.4% |
| United States | $142K | 0% |
Latest results
- In Q3 FY2026 (ended Sep 30, 2026), revenue was $485.1M, up 21.2% from a year earlier, and net income was $101.2M (+193.5%).
- For fiscal 2025, revenue was $1.70B (+8.6% year over year; +10.7% a year from FY2020 to FY2025) with a 16.5% net margin.
Financial health check
| Revenue growth a year (FY2020–FY2025) | +10.7% good |
|---|---|
| Operating margin | 25.3% good |
| Free cash flow margin | 15.5% good |
| Return on equity (FY2025) | 23.7% good |
| Return on assets (FY2025) | 12.8% good |
| Net cash (cash minus debt) | $-12.8M watch |
| Fiscal year | Revenue | Net income | Free cash flow |
|---|---|---|---|
| FY2020 | $1.02B | $-613.3M | $184.9M |
| FY2021 | $1.09B | $192.4M | $-206.5M |
| FY2022 | $1.24B | $69.6M | $125.5M |
| FY2023 | $1.48B | $107.6M | $194.3M |
| FY2024 | $1.57B | $296.5M | $160.8M |
| FY2025 | $1.70B | $281.6M | $263.1M |
Valuation snapshot
| Market value | $4.94B |
|---|---|
| P/E ratio | 19.2 |
| Dividend yield | 0% |
Rank among 1514 US companies
Market value at each year end
Laureate Education’s market value went from $1.58B at the end of 2022 to $4.94B on Oct 28, 2026, about 3.1 times as much; since the end of 2025 it is down 1%.
Show as a table
| Year end | Market value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| Oct 28, 2026 | $4.94B | -0.5% |
| 2025 | $4.96B | +80.0% |
| 2024 | $2.76B | +27.7% |
| 2023 | $2.16B | +36.2% |
| 2022 | $1.58B |
Price behavior
| YTD | 1 yr | 3 yr | 5 yr | 10 yr | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LAUR price data to Oct 28, 2026 | +8.0% | +21.8% | +39.0% | +34.6% | — |
Show as a table
| Year | Price data |
|---|---|
| 2026 (to date) | +8.0% |
| 2025 | +84.1% |
| 2024 | +33.4% |
| 2023 | +50.0% |
| 2022 | -14.9% |
| 2021 | +50.6% |
| 2020 | -17.3% |
| 2019 | +15.6% |
| 2018 | +12.4% |
| 2008 financial crisis stocks fell Oct 9, 2007 – Mar 9, 2009 | Before this security existed |
|---|---|
| 2020 COVID crash stocks fell Feb 19, 2020 – Mar 23, 2020 | Lost 58.3% over that stretch · deepest drop along the way 62.6%, back to its old high 21.1 months after the low |
| 2022 bear market stocks fell Jan 3, 2022 – Oct 12, 2022 | Lost 2.4% over that stretch · deepest drop along the way 18.9%, back to its old high 4.1 months after the low |
Insider activity
Form 4 filings from 2025-10-30 to 2026-10-30 (25 read): 0 open-market purchases and 6 sales ($21.4M), 1 of them under pre-arranged 10b5-1 trading plans.
| Date | Insider | Type | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 2, 2026 | Ian Kendell Snow Director, 10% owner | sell | $15.5M |
| Aug 31, 2026 | Ian Kendell Snow Director, 10% owner | sell | $3.5M |
| Mar 11, 2026 | Richard M. Buskirk SVP & CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER | sell | $2.0M |
| Mar 17, 2026 | Marcelo Cardoso EVP & CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER | sell (plan) | $248K |
| Sep 1, 2026 | Ian Kendell Snow Director, 10% owner | sell | $101K |
Who owns it
Large shareholders (13G filings)
| FMR LLC | 14.5% | Jun 30, 2026 |
| BlackRock, Inc. | 13.4% | Mar 31, 2026 |
ETFs with the most weight in LAUR
| EPU iShares MSCI Peru and Global Exposure ETF | 2.57% |
| FSGS First Trust SMID Growth Strength ETF | 1.2% |
| FSCS First Trust SMID Capital Strength ETF | 1.14% |
| MYLD Cambria Micro and SmallCap Shareholder Yield ETF | 1.07% |
| HAPS Harbor Human Capital Factor US Small Cap ETF | 0.54% |
| VLLU Harbor AlphaEdge Large Cap Value ETF | 0.5% |
| DWAS Invesco Dorsey Wright SmallCap Momentum ETF | 0.4% |
| ROSC Hartford Multifactor Small Cap ETF | 0.38% |
What could go wrong
- Entirely dependent on Mexico and Peru. Essentially all revenue comes from two Latin American countries. Recession, political upheaval, student unrest or limits on moving money out of either country could hurt results, and there are no other markets to offset them.
- Enrollment and tuition pressure. Students drop out for financial or family reasons, and in some markets transfers are uncommon, so empty seats are hard to refill. Attracting students may require tuition discounts or price rises below inflation.
- A stronger dollar shrinks reported results. Laureate reports in US dollars but collects revenue in Mexican and Peruvian currencies. When the dollar strengthens or a local currency is devalued, reported revenue and earnings shrink even if the local business holds steady.
- Reputation can be damaged quickly. Each school depends on its local brand. A single incident spread on social media, or missteps by other for-profit and private colleges, could damage its reputation. So could graduates failing to obtain professional licenses.
- Changing education laws and regulations. Its schools face uncertain and varying laws in Mexico and Peru, including accreditation rules. New laws, or new readings of existing ones, could hurt the business. Government seizure of assets is also listed as a risk.
- Peruvian taxes tied to share sales. Selling Laureate shares may trigger taxes payable in Peru. Direct or indirect transfers of its shares may also leave the company itself with a Peruvian tax bill.
Recent events
- Quarterly results released; Investor presentation or announcement
- Quarterly results released; Investor presentation or announcement
- Executive or board change; Shareholder vote results
- Quarterly results released; Investor presentation or announcement
- Quarterly results released; Investor presentation or announcement
- Quarterly results released; Investor presentation or announcement
For income and retirement investors
Laureate is not an income stock. It paid no dividends from fiscal 2021 through fiscal 2025, and its dividend yield was 0% as of October 28, 2026. An investor relying on it for income would have to sell shares to raise cash. The company has returned cash through buybacks (buying its own shares) instead. It spent about $980 million over those five years, including $215 million in fiscal 2025, when free cash flow (cash left after capital spending) was $263 million. Buybacks have been uneven: there were none in fiscal 2023. The share count fell 20% between March 31, 2022 and June 30, 2026.
The stock has fallen hard in downturns. In the 2020 COVID crash it dropped 62.6% and took about 21 months to recover. In the 2022 bear market it fell 18.9% at its worst but recovered in about four months. A single stock carries more risk than a diversified fund.
Questions investors ask
How does Laureate Education make money?
Laureate makes money mainly from tuition paid by students at its five higher-education institutions in Mexico and Peru, which had about 497,700 students as of December 31, 2025. Essentially all revenue in fiscal 2025 came from private payers, because neither country has a material government student loan program. Revenue that year was $1.70 billion, with 51.6% from Mexico and 48.4% from Peru. Operating margin, the share of revenue left after running costs, was 25.3%.
Does Laureate Education pay a dividend?
No, Laureate does not pay a regular dividend. It paid no dividends from fiscal 2021 through fiscal 2025, and its dividend yield was 0% as of October 28, 2026. Instead, it has returned cash through buybacks, spending about $980 million on its own shares over those five years. The share count fell 20% between March 31, 2022 and June 30, 2026. The company says the amount and timing of buybacks and dividends depend on a number of factors and may vary.
What universities does Laureate Education own?
Laureate operates five institutions. In Mexico, it runs Universidad del Valle de México (UVM), with 132,200 students, and Universidad Tecnológica de México (UNITEC), with 137,200, which it describes as the country's largest private university. In Peru, it runs Universidad Peruana de Ciencias Aplicadas (UPC), with 78,400 students; Universidad Privada del Norte (UPN), with 129,900; and the technical-vocational institute CIBERTEC, with 20,000. All enrollment figures are as of December 31, 2025.
How has Laureate Education stock performed?
Its share price rose sharply in the years to October 28, 2026, with deep drops along the way. As of that date, it was up 21.8% over one year. It had gained an average of 39% a year over three years and 34.6% a year over five. It rose 84.1% in calendar 2025 and 8% in 2026 through October 28. The deepest peak-to-trough fall in its roughly 9.7-year trading history was 64.5%.
What is Laureate Education's P/E ratio?
Laureate's price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio, the share price divided by earnings per share, was 19.2 as of October 28, 2026. That is based on fiscal 2025 diluted earnings of $1.89 per share. Its market value was about $5.0 billion. Fiscal 2025 revenue grew 8.6% while net income slipped 5%. In the quarter ended June 30, 2026, revenue rose 17.5% and net income 44.2% from a year earlier. Total debt was $222 million, against $162 million of cash and investments, as of June 30, 2026.