AlphaQuest LLC Decreases Stock Position in Perdoceo Education Co. (NASDAQ:PRDO)

AlphaQuest LLC decreased its position in shares of Perdoceo Education Co. (NASDAQ:PRDO) by 61.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 8,577 shares of the company’s stock after selling 13,435 shares during the period. AlphaQuest LLC’s holdings in Perdoceo Education were worth $227,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in Perdoceo Education by 227.1% during the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,315 shares of the company’s stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 913 shares in the last quarter. R Squared Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Perdoceo Education in the fourth quarter valued at $60,000. KBC Group NV increased its position in Perdoceo Education by 47.5% in the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 3,696 shares of the company’s stock worth $98,000 after purchasing an additional 1,190 shares during the last quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust raised its stake in Perdoceo Education by 53.8% during the fourth quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 3,875 shares of the company’s stock valued at $103,000 after purchasing an additional 1,355 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Point72 DIFC Ltd bought a new position in Perdoceo Education during the third quarter valued at $114,000. 93.46% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Perdoceo Education Stock Up 1.6 %

NASDAQ PRDO opened at $24.60 on Friday. Perdoceo Education Co. has a 52 week low of $16.56 and a 52 week high of $29.84. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.18, a PEG ratio of 0.75 and a beta of 1.04. The company has a quick ratio of 5.45, a current ratio of 4.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01. The company has a fifty day moving average of $26.99 and a two-hundred day moving average of $25.05.

Perdoceo Education (NASDAQ:PRDO) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 18th. The company reported $0.50 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.48 by $0.02. Perdoceo Education had a net margin of 21.66% and a return on equity of 16.85%. The company had revenue of $176.43 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $160.12 million. On average, analysts predict that Perdoceo Education Co. will post 2.41 earnings per share for the current year.

Perdoceo Education Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 13th. Investors of record on Saturday, March 1st were paid a dividend of $0.13 per share. This represents a $0.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.11%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 28th. Perdoceo Education’s dividend payout ratio is currently 23.64%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

PRDO has been the topic of a number of research reports. Barrington Research boosted their target price on shares of Perdoceo Education from $32.00 to $35.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. StockNews.com raised Perdoceo Education from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th.

Insider Activity at Perdoceo Education

In other news, CEO Todd S. Nelson sold 12,472 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $26.29, for a total transaction of $327,888.88. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 615,697 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $16,186,674.13. This trade represents a 1.99 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, SVP John Robert Kline sold 12,148 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $25.79, for a total value of $313,296.92. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 130,405 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,363,144.95. The trade was a 8.52 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.81% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Perdoceo Education Profile

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.