Perdoceo Education (NASDAQ:PRDO) Price Target Raised to $25.00

Perdoceo Education (NASDAQ:PRDO) had its price target lifted by Barrington Research from $23.00 to $25.00 in a research report report published on Thursday, Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an outperform rating on the stock.

Separately, StockNews.com downgraded Perdoceo Education from a strong-buy rating to a buy rating in a research note on Thursday, April 25th.

Perdoceo Education Stock Performance

Shares of Perdoceo Education stock traded up $0.23 on Thursday, reaching $24.34. 1,290,777 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 666,381. The company has a market capitalization of $1.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.77 and a beta of 0.93. Perdoceo Education has a 52 week low of $11.50 and a 52 week high of $24.66. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $17.90 and its two-hundred day moving average is $17.74.

Perdoceo Education (NASDAQ:PRDO) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, May 1st. The company reported $0.60 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.53 by $0.07. Perdoceo Education had a net margin of 22.35% and a return on equity of 17.09%. The business had revenue of $168.30 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $163.30 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.58 earnings per share. Perdoceo Education’s revenue was down 14.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts expect that Perdoceo Education will post 2.21 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Perdoceo Education Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, June 15th. Investors of record on Saturday, June 1st will be given a $0.11 dividend. This represents a $0.44 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.81%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 31st. Perdoceo Education’s payout ratio is currently 19.38%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CFO Ashish R. Ghia sold 11,412 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, April 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $19.00, for a total value of $216,828.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 226,234 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,298,446. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In related news, CFO Ashish R. Ghia sold 11,412 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, April 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $19.00, for a total transaction of $216,828.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 226,234 shares in the company, valued at $4,298,446. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Todd S. Nelson sold 16,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $17.65, for a total transaction of $282,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 681,367 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $12,026,127.55. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 75,412 shares of company stock worth $1,342,428. Insiders own 1.81% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Perdoceo Education

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Planned Solutions Inc. bought a new stake in Perdoceo Education in the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. McGlone Suttner Wealth Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Perdoceo Education in the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. AJOVista LLC purchased a new position in Perdoceo Education in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $81,000. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise grew its holdings in Perdoceo Education by 9.9% during the first quarter. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise now owns 6,269 shares of the company’s stock valued at $110,000 after purchasing an additional 565 shares during the period. Finally, Commons Capital LLC purchased a new stake in Perdoceo Education in the fourth quarter worth $193,000. Institutional investors own 93.46% of the company’s stock.

About Perdoceo Education

Perdoceo Education Corporation provides postsecondary education through online, campus-based, and blended learning programs in the United States. It operates in two segments, Colorado Technical University and The American InterContinental University System. The Colorado Technical University segment offers academic programs, such as business and management, nursing, healthcare management, computer science, engineering, information systems and technology, project management, cybersecurity, and criminal justice.