Wall Street Zen Downgrades Perdoceo Education (NASDAQ:PRDO) to Hold

Perdoceo Education (NASDAQ:PRDO) was downgraded by research analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a note issued to investors on Saturday.

Several other research firms have also recently weighed in on PRDO. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Perdoceo Education in a research report on Friday, July 17th. Zacks Research lowered shares of Perdoceo Education from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. Finally, Barrington Research set a $44.00 target price on Perdoceo Education in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $44.00.

Perdoceo Education Stock Performance

Shares of Perdoceo Education stock opened at $33.85 on Friday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $33.15 and its 200-day moving average price is $33.75. The company has a market cap of $2.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.35, a PEG ratio of 0.72 and a beta of 0.71. Perdoceo Education has a 12-month low of $26.66 and a 12-month high of $38.50.

Perdoceo Education (NASDAQ:PRDO) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The company reported $0.80 EPS for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.80. The firm had revenue of $213.35 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $212.50 million. Perdoceo Education had a net margin of 20.62% and a return on equity of 18.93%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.67 EPS. Perdoceo Education has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 0.730-0.740 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 3.100-3.160 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Perdoceo Education will post 3.13 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Patrick W. Gross sold 3,647 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $34.98, for a total transaction of $127,572.06. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 114,970 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,021,650.60. This trade represents a 3.07% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Kenda B. Gonzales sold 9,308 shares of Perdoceo Education stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $34.79, for a total value of $323,825.32. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 48,158 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,675,416.82. This represents a 16.20% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 38,270 shares of company stock valued at $1,336,193 over the last three months. 1.46% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in PRDO. Salomon & Ludwin LLC boosted its position in Perdoceo Education by 72.6% during the 4th quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC now owns 811 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 341 shares during the period. Fifth Third Bancorp increased its position in shares of Perdoceo Education by 108.2% in the fourth quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 970 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 504 shares during the period. IFP Advisors Inc raised its stake in shares of Perdoceo Education by 34.6% during the fourth quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 1,363 shares of the company’s stock valued at $40,000 after acquiring an additional 350 shares during the last quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. raised its stake in shares of Perdoceo Education by 48.8% during the fourth quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 2,132 shares of the company’s stock valued at $63,000 after acquiring an additional 699 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Meeder Asset Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Perdoceo Education during the first quarter worth about $83,000. 93.46% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Stories Impacting Perdoceo Education

Here are the key news stories impacting Perdoceo Education this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Perdoceo raised its quarterly dividend 13.3% to $0.17 per share, payable September 10 to shareholders of record September 1. The increase signals confidence in cash generation and provides an annualized yield of approximately 2.0%.
• Positive Sentiment: Second-quarter revenue reached approximately $213.4 million, ahead of the $212.5 million analyst estimate and 1.8% above the prior-year period. Earnings of $0.80 per share matched consensus and increased from $0.67 a year earlier, while net margin remained strong at 19.91%. Perdoceo Education Q2 earnings report
• Positive Sentiment: Full-year 2026 adjusted EPS guidance of $3.10-$3.16 places the midpoint at $3.13, slightly above the $3.11 analyst consensus. This supports the view that profitability is holding up despite limited revenue growth. Perdoceo projects 2026 EPS and raises dividend
• Neutral Sentiment: Third-quarter EPS guidance of $0.73-$0.74 is broadly in line with expectations, though its midpoint is modestly below the $0.74 consensus estimate. Perdoceo Education matches Q2 earnings estimates
• Negative Sentiment: Although earnings improved year over year, the quarter did not produce an upside EPS surprise, and revenue growth was only modest. The slightly cautious third-quarter outlook may limit further gains.

About Perdoceo Education

Perdoceo Education Corporation (NASDAQ: PRDO) is a for-profit postsecondary education provider offering certificate, associate, bachelor’s and master’s degree programs. The company operates primarily through two brand platforms—Colorado Technical University and American InterContinental University—delivering career-focused education both on campus and online. These programs span fields such as business, information technology, healthcare and criminal justice, targeting working adults seeking to advance or pivot their careers.

With headquarters in Schaumburg, Illinois, Perdoceo serves students across the United States and internationally through its online offerings.