Financial Analysis: Visionary (NYSE:GV) and Laureate Education (NASDAQ:LAUR)

Visionary (NYSE:GV) and Laureate Education (NASDAQ:LAUR) are both consumer defensive companies, but which is the superior stock? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their analyst recommendations, institutional ownership, dividends, profitability, valuation, risk and earnings.

Profitability

This table compares Visionary and Laureate Education’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Visionary	N/A	N/A	N/A
Laureate Education	12.64%	21.37%	9.49%

Earnings and Valuation

This table compares Visionary and Laureate Education”s revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Visionary	$9.38 million	0.04	N/A	N/A	N/A
Laureate Education	$1.55 billion	1.58	$107.59 million	$0.74	20.93

Laureate Education has higher revenue and earnings than Visionary.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a summary of current recommendations and price targets for Visionary and Laureate Education, as provided by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Visionary	0	0	0	0	N/A
Laureate Education	0	1	0	0	2.00

Laureate Education has a consensus price target of $17.00, suggesting a potential upside of 9.75%. Given Laureate Education’s higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe Laureate Education is more favorable than Visionary.

Insider & Institutional Ownership

0.7% of Visionary shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 96.3% of Laureate Education shares are held by institutional investors. 9.2% of Visionary shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 2.3% of Laureate Education shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Risk & Volatility

Visionary has a beta of 1.56, suggesting that its share price is 56% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Laureate Education has a beta of 0.82, suggesting that its share price is 18% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Summary

Laureate Education beats Visionary on 7 of the 9 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Visionary

Visionary Holdings Inc. provides education resources to students worldwide. The company offers educational programs for secondary school, college, university, and advanced degree students that include degree-oriented educational programs, such as OSSD program, career-oriented two-year college, four-year university programs, and master’s programs; and high school education programs, real estate development, animation education, vocational education, online education, and other education-related consulting services. It also provides educational services, such as immigration and study visa, student housing, career guidance, internship, and entrepreneurship guidance. The company was formerly known as Visionary Education Technology Holdings Group Inc. and changed its name to Visionary Holdings Inc. in February 2024. The company was incorporated in 2013 and is headquartered in Toronto, Canada.

About Laureate Education

Laureate Education, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, offers higher education programs and services to students through a network of universities and higher education institutions. The company provides a range of undergraduate and graduate degree programs in the areas of business and management, medicine and health sciences, and engineering and information technology through campus-based, online, and hybrid programs. It also offers specialized courses for technical and vocational training; and senior high school. Its services are provides in Mexico, Peru, and the United States. The company was formerly known as Sylvan Learning Systems, Inc. and changed its name to Laureate Education, Inc. in May 2004. Laureate Education, Inc. was founded in 1989 and is headquartered in Miami, Florida.