Marcelo Cardoso, who serves as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer at Laureate Education, INC. (NASDAQ:LAUR), completed a stock sale on March 17, 2026, disposing of 7,300 shares of common stock at a per-share price of $33.91. The transaction generated $247,542 in proceeds.
Following the sale, Cardoso retains direct ownership of 335,930 shares of the company. The reported sale was executed under a pre-established Rule 10b5-1 trading plan that the executive adopted on May 14, 2025. According to the filing, the purpose of the sale was to cover taxes associated with the vesting of performance share awards that vested on March 15, 2026. The disposition was disclosed in a Form 4 filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Laureate’s stock has experienced substantial appreciation over the trailing 12 months, delivering a 77% return, and the shares were trading at $34.22 at the time of the report.
Cardoso’s sale comes amid the company’s recently released fourth-quarter 2025 financial results, which produced mixed outcomes versus expectations. Earnings per share for the period came in at $0.76, below the consensus estimate of $0.78, representing a 2.56% shortfall. Revenue for the quarter was reported at $541.4 million, topping estimates of $528.69 million and producing a 2.4% positive surprise.
Analyst reaction to the quarterly report and updated guidance included an adjustment from UBS, which reduced its price target on Laureate shares from $39.00 to $37.50 while maintaining a Buy rating. In its update, UBS lowered its earnings estimates for Laureate by 9% for 2026 and by 5% for 2027, explicitly citing margin pressures as the rationale for the reductions.
These developments — an insider sale tied to tax obligations, a revenue beat alongside an EPS miss, and analyst revisions that trim near-term earnings expectations — together paint a mixed picture of investor and analyst sentiment toward Laureate. The information available in regulatory filings and company results provides a factual snapshot, without indicating any further causal relationships beyond what has been disclosed.
Data points in this report
- Insider transaction: 7,300 shares sold on March 17, 2026 at $33.91 per share, totaling $247,542.
- Post-transaction direct ownership: 335,930 shares held by Marcelo Cardoso.
- Rule 10b5-1 plan adoption date: May 14, 2025; sale intended to cover taxes from performance shares vested March 15, 2026.
- Q4 2025 results: EPS $0.76 vs. $0.78 expected; revenue $541.4 million vs. $528.69 million expected.
- UBS action: price target lowered from $39.00 to $37.50, Buy rating maintained; 2026 earnings reduced by 9%, 2027 by 5% citing margin pressures.