Phoenix Education Partners (NYSE:PXED) Releases Earnings Results, Meets Expectations

Phoenix Education Partners (NYSE:PXED) announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday. The company reported $1.07 EPS for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.07, FiscalAI reports. The company had revenue of $260.68 million during the quarter. Phoenix Education Partners had a return on equity of 57.86% and a net margin of 8.74%.

Here are the key takeaways from Phoenix Education Partners’ conference call:

• Fourth-quarter results improved: Revenue rose 1.3% to $260.7 million, Average Total Degreed Enrollment increased 2.8%, and Adjusted EBITDA grew 8.6% to $61.5 million, lifting the margin to 23.6%.
• Employer-affiliated enrollment remains a key growth engine, rising nearly 13% in fiscal 2026 and reaching 36% of quarterly enrollment; healthcare enrollment also grew approximately 13% year over year.
• AI-driven changes to online search are pressuring new B2C student starts. Management expects the impact to weigh more heavily on fiscal 2027 revenue, which is guided to $970 million-$1 billion, with Adjusted EBITDA of $225 million-$240 million versus $249 million in fiscal 2026.
• Management views fiscal 2027 as a transition year and expects enrollment trends to improve as employer partnerships, new healthcare/business/AI programs, targeted marketing, and AI-enabled conversion tools gain traction, with a return to growth targeted for fiscal 2028.
• Phoenix ended fiscal 2026 with $331.7 million in cash, restricted cash, and marketable securities and no debt, while generating $196.3 million in operating cash flow; the board also approved a 10% dividend increase to $0.23 per share.

Phoenix Education Partners Price Performance

NYSE:PXED remained flat at $21.66 during trading hours on Thursday. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 135,669 shares, compared to its average volume of 102,950. Phoenix Education Partners has a 52-week low of $21.24 and a 52-week high of $35.90. The company has a current ratio of 1.91, a quick ratio of 1.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $25.87 and its 200 day simple moving average is $28.80. The stock has a market capitalization of $780.84 million and a PE ratio of 9.43.

Phoenix Education Partners Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 13th will be paid a $0.23 dividend. This represents a $0.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.2%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 13th. This is a positive change from Phoenix Education Partners’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.21. Phoenix Education Partners’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 39.07%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently commented on PXED shares. Zacks Research raised Phoenix Education Partners from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 1st. Wall Street Zen lowered Phoenix Education Partners from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, August 1st. B. Riley Financial cut Phoenix Education Partners from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and cut their price objective for the company from $44.00 to $25.00 in a report on Wednesday. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Phoenix Education Partners to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 23rd. Finally, BMO Capital Markets cut their price target on shares of Phoenix Education Partners from $36.00 to $33.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, October 5th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has given a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $31.67.

Phoenix Education Partners News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Phoenix Education Partners this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Phoenix Education raised its quarterly dividend 9.5%, from $0.21 to $0.23 per share. The annualized payout is $0.92, with a 3.9% yield; the ex-dividend date is November 13 and payment is scheduled for November 27. Dividend announcement
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks noted that PXED appears technically oversold and that analysts have been revising earnings estimates higher, which it said could support a near-term turnaround. Zacks turnaround analysis
• Neutral Sentiment: Fiscal fourth-quarter EPS of $1.07 matched consensus and increased from $1.04 a year earlier; revenue was $260.68 million. The company has also provided fiscal 2027 earnings guidance, but the supplied report details do not include the figures, so its implications are unclear. Fiscal 2026 results Fiscal 2027 guidance
• Negative Sentiment: Several analysts turned more cautious. B. Riley cut its rating from Buy to Neutral and reduced its target from $44 to $25; Barrington Research moved from Outperform to Market Perform; Morgan Stanley cut Overweight to Equal Weight; and Truist lowered its target from $38 to $23 and retained Hold. The reductions may reinforce concerns about PXED’s outlook. B. Riley downgrade
• Negative Sentiment: A disclosed risk is that the company’s anti-takeover provisions could limit shareholders’ ability to benefit from a takeover premium. Shareholder-rights risk

Insider Activity

In other news, insider John Woods sold 19,453 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, October 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $25.89, for a total value of $503,638.17. Following the sale, the insider owned 62,682 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,622,836.98. The trade was a 23.68% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Insiders have sold 20,703 shares of company stock valued at $534,904 in the last 90 days. 5.00% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio bought a new position in Phoenix Education Partners in the second quarter valued at approximately $26,000. State of Alaska Department of Revenue acquired a new position in shares of Phoenix Education Partners during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $51,000. Legal & General Group Plc bought a new stake in shares of Phoenix Education Partners during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $64,000. State of Wyoming bought a new stake in shares of Phoenix Education Partners during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $78,000. Finally, Meeder Asset Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Phoenix Education Partners in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $191,000.

About Phoenix Education Partners

Phoenix Education Partners, Inc is a higher education company focused on serving working adults and other nontraditional students. Through the University of Phoenix, its principal operating institution, the company provides career-oriented undergraduate and graduate degree programs, professional certificates, and other educational offerings.

The University of Phoenix primarily delivers instruction through online learning, with programs designed to offer flexible scheduling for students balancing education with employment and other responsibilities.