Laureate Education Reports Financial Results for the Third Quarter and Nine Months Ended September 30, 2025
MIAMI, Oct. 30, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Laureate Education, Inc. (NASDAQ: LAUR), which operates five higher education institutions across Mexico and Peru, today announced financial results for the third quarter and nine months ended September 30, 2025.
Third Quarter 2025 Highlights (compared to third quarter 2024):
Nine Months Ended September 30, 2025 Highlights (compared to nine months ended September 30, 2024):
1 Organic constant currency results exclude the period-over-period impact from currency fluctuations, acquisitions and divestitures.
Eilif Serck-Hanssen, President and Chief Executive Officer, said “We are pleased to report another strong quarter, driven by favorable operating performance as well as a weaker U.S. dollar. We were especially encouraged by our continued ability to scale our fully online offerings in Peru through our industry-leading digital portfolio and to deliver continued growth in Mexico despite a softer macroeconomic environment. The results from the intake cycles, combined with favorable foreign currency trends, give us the confidence to increase our full-year outlook for 2025.”
Mr. Serck-Hanssen added, “We are also pleased to announce that the Board has authorized a $150 million increase in our stock buyback authorization. Our strong balance sheet and high free cash flow generation continue to allow us to deliver on our commitment to return excess capital to shareholders.”
Third Quarter 2025 Results
For the third quarter of 2025, revenue on a reported basis was $400.2 million, an increase of $31.6 million, or 9%, compared to the third quarter of 2024. On an organic constant currency basis, revenue increased 4%. Operating income for the third quarter of 2025 was $71.5 million, compared to $72.0 million for the third quarter of 2024, a decrease of $0.5 million. Net income for the third quarter of 2025 was $34.4 million, compared to net income of $85.3 million for the third quarter of 2024. The decrease in net income was attributable to a loss on foreign currency exchange during the third quarter of 2025 compared to a gain during the third quarter of 2024, mainly related to intercompany loan arrangements, as well as a discrete tax benefit of $37.9 million recorded during the three months ended September 30, 2024. Basic and diluted earnings per share for the third quarter of 2025 were $0.23.
Adjusted EBITDA for the third quarter of 2025 was $94.8 million, compared to Adjusted EBITDA of $91.4 million for the third quarter of 2024.
Nine Months Ended September 30, 2025 Results
New enrollments for the nine months ended September 30, 2025 increased 7%, compared to new enrollment activity for the nine months ended September 30, 2024, and total enrollments were up 6% compared to the prior-year period. New and total enrollments in Peru increased 13% and 8%, respectively, compared to the prior-year period. In Mexico, new and total enrollments were up 4% and 4%, respectively, compared to the prior-year period.
For the nine months ended September 30, 2025, revenue on a reported basis was $1,160.5 million, an increase of $17.3 million, or 2%, compared to the nine months ended September 30, 2024. On an organic constant currency basis, revenue increased 6%. Revenue for the nine months ended September 30, 2025 was unfavorably affected by approximately $25 million of intra-year academic calendar timing attributable to later semester start dates in 2025 as compared to 2024. Operating income for the nine months ended September 30, 2025 was $251.6 million, compared to operating income of $249.8 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2024, an increase of $1.8 million. Net income for the nine months ended September 30, 2025 was $112.3 million, compared to $202.8 million for the third quarter of 2024. The decrease in net income was attributable to a loss on foreign currency exchange during the nine months ended September 30, 2025 compared to a gain during the nine months ended September 30, 2024, mainly related to intercompany loan arrangements, as well as a discrete tax benefit of $37.9 million recorded during the nine months ended September 30, 2024. Basic and diluted earnings per share for the nine months ended September 30, 2025 were $0.74.
Adjusted EBITDA for the nine months ended September 30, 2025 was $314.7 million, compared to Adjusted EBITDA of $308.9 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2024. Adjusted EBITDA for the nine months ended September 30, 2025 was unfavorably affected by approximately $21 million of intra-year academic calendar timing attributable to later semester start dates in the 2025 period as compared to the 2024 period.
Balance Sheet and Capital Structure
Laureate has a strong balance sheet position. As of September 30, 2025, Laureate had $241.0 million of cash and cash equivalents and gross debt of $102.4 million. Accordingly, net cash was $138.6 million as of September 30, 2025.
Laureate repurchased approximately $71 million of its common stock during the nine months ended September 30, 2025 under the existing stock repurchase program previously announced on September 13, 2024. As of September 30, 2025, the Company had approximately $27 million of stock repurchase authorization remaining under its existing stock repurchase program.
As of September 30, 2025, Laureate had 147.4 million total shares outstanding.
Increase in Share Repurchase Program
Laureate today announced that its board of directors approved a $150 million increase to its existing stock repurchase program, from $100 million to $250 million, to acquire shares of the Company's common stock. After giving effect to this new authorization and taking into account the $73 million of cumulative repurchases to date, the Company may repurchase up to approximately $177 million of its common stock under its stock repurchase program, which has no fixed expiration date. The Company intends to finance the repurchases with free cash flow, excess cash and liquidity on-hand, including available capacity under its Revolving Credit Facility. The Company’s proposed repurchases may be made from time to time on the open market at prevailing market prices, in privately negotiated transactions, in block trades and/or through other legally permissible means, depending on market conditions and in accordance with applicable rules and regulations promulgated under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”). Repurchases may be effected pursuant to a trading plan adopted in accordance with Rule 10b5-1 of the Exchange Act. The Company’s board will review the share repurchase program periodically and may authorize adjustment of its terms and size or suspend or discontinue the program.
Outlook for Fiscal 2025
Laureate is updating its 2025 outlook to reflect favorable results from the recently closed enrollment intakes and improved foreign currency rates.
Based on assumed foreign exchange rates 2, Laureate now expects its full-year 2025 results to be as follows:
Reconciliations of forward-looking non-GAAP measures, specifically the 2025 Adjusted EBITDA outlook, to the relevant forward-looking GAAP measures are not being provided, as Laureate does not currently have sufficient data to accurately estimate the variables and individual adjustments for such outlooks and reconciliations. Due to this uncertainty, the Company cannot reconcile projected Adjusted EBITDA to projected net income without unreasonable effort. Please see the “Forward-Looking Statements” section in this release for a discussion of certain risks related to this outlook.
2 Based on actual FX rates for January-October 2025, and assumed FX rates (local currency per U.S. Dollar) of MXN 18.75 and PEN 3.48 for November 2025 - December 2025. FX impact may change based on fluctuations in currency rates in future periods.
Conference Call
Laureate will host an earnings conference call today at 8:30 am ET. Interested parties are invited to listen to the earnings call by registering at https://bit.ly/LAURQ32025 to receive dial-in information. The webcast of the conference call, including replays, and a copy of this press release and the related slides will be made available through the Investor Relations section of Laureate’s website at www.laureate.net.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release includes statements that express Laureate’s opinions, expectations, beliefs, plans, objectives, assumptions or projections regarding future events or future results and therefore are, or may be deemed to be, ‘‘forward-looking statements’’ within the meaning of the federal securities laws, which involve risks and uncertainties. Laureate’s actual results may vary significantly from the results anticipated in these forward-looking statements. You can identify forward-looking statements because they contain words such as ‘‘believes,’’ ‘‘expects,’’ ‘‘may,’’ ‘‘will,’’ ‘‘should,’’ ‘‘seeks,’’ ‘‘approximately,’’ ‘‘intends,’’ ‘‘plans,’’ ‘‘estimates’’ or ‘‘anticipates’’ or similar expressions that concern our strategy, plans or intentions. In particular, statements regarding the amount, timing, process, tax treatment and impact of any future dividends represent forward-looking statements. All statements we make relating to guidance (including, but not limited to, total enrollments, revenues, and Adjusted EBITDA), and all statements we make relating to our current growth strategy and other future plans, strategies or transactions that may be identified, explored or implemented and any litigation or dispute resulting from any completed transaction are forward-looking statements. In addition, we, through our senior management, from time to time make forward-looking public statements concerning our expected future operations and performance and other developments. All of these forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that may change at any time, including with respect to our current growth strategy and the impact of any completed divestiture or separation transaction on our remaining businesses. Accordingly, our actual results may differ materially from those we expected. We derive most of our forward-looking statements from our operating budgets and forecasts, which are based upon many detailed assumptions. While we believe that our assumptions are reasonable, we caution that it is very difficult to predict the impact of known factors, and, of course, it is impossible for us to anticipate all factors that could affect our actual results. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from our expectations are disclosed in our Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC on February 20, 2025, our subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q filed, and to be filed, with the SEC and other filings made with the SEC. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the time of this release and we do not undertake to publicly update or revise them, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.
Presentation of Non-GAAP Measures
In addition to the results provided in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) throughout this press release, Laureate provides the non-GAAP measurements of Adjusted EBITDA, Adjusted net income, Adjusted earnings per share (Adjusted EPS), and total cash and cash equivalents, net of debt (or net cash). We have included the non-GAAP measures of Adjusted EBITDA and net cash because they are key measures used by our management and board of directors to understand and evaluate our core operating performance and trends, to prepare and approve our annual budget and to develop short- and long-term operational plans. We have included the non-GAAP measures of Adjusted net income and Adjusted EPS because management believes that these measures provide investors with better visibility into the Company’s underlying earnings as they exclude items that may not be indicative of our core operating results.
Adjusted EBITDA consists of net income (loss), before (income) loss from discontinued operations, net of tax, equity in net (income) loss of affiliates, net of tax, income tax expense (benefit), (gain) loss on disposal of subsidiaries, net, foreign currency exchange (gain) loss, net, other (income) expense, net, interest expense, interest income, and loss on debt extinguishment, plus depreciation and amortization, share-based compensation expense, and loss on impairment of assets. The exclusion of certain expenses in calculating Adjusted EBITDA can provide a useful measure for period-to-period comparisons of our core business. Additionally, Adjusted EBITDA is a key input into the formula used by the compensation committee of our board of directors and our Chief Executive Officer in connection with the payment of incentive compensation to our executive officers and other members of our management team. Accordingly, we believe that Adjusted EBITDA provides useful information to investors and others in understanding and evaluating our operating results in the same manner as our management and board of directors.
We define Adjusted net income as net income (loss), before (income) loss from discontinued operations, plus discrete tax items, loss on debt extinguishment, loss (gain) on disposal of subsidiaries, net, foreign currency exchange (gain) loss, net, and loss on impairment of assets. We define Adjusted EPS as Adjusted net income divided by GAAP diluted weighted average shares outstanding. Adjusted net income and Adjusted EPS provide a useful indicator about Laureate’s earnings from core operations.
Total cash and cash equivalents, net of debt (or net cash) consists of total cash and cash equivalents, less total gross debt. Net cash provides a useful indicator about Laureate’s leverage and liquidity.
Free Cash Flow consists of operating cash flow minus capital expenditures (net of sales of PP&E). Free Cash Flow provides a useful indicator about Laureate’s ability to fund its operations and repay its debt.
Adjusted EBITDA to Unlevered Free Cash Flow Conversion consists of Unlevered Free Cash Flow (which is defined as cash flows from operating activities, less capital expenditures (net of sales of PP&E), plus net cash interest expense) divided by Adjusted EBITDA. Adjusted EBITDA to Unlevered Free Cash Flow provides useful information to investors and others in understanding and evaluating our ability to generate cash flows.
Laureate’s calculations of Adjusted EBITDA, Adjusted net income, Adjusted EPS, and total cash and cash equivalents, net of total debt (or net cash) are not necessarily comparable to calculations performed by other companies and reported as similarly titled measures. These non-GAAP measures should be considered in addition to results prepared in accordance with GAAP but should not be considered a substitute for or superior to GAAP results. Adjusted EBITDA, Adjusted net income and Adjusted EPS are reconciled from their most directly comparable GAAP measures in the attached tables under “Non-GAAP Reconciliations.”
We evaluate our results of operations on both an as reported and an organic constant currency basis. The organic constant currency presentation, which is a non-GAAP measure, excludes the impact of fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates, acquisitions and divestitures. We believe that providing organic constant currency information provides valuable supplemental information regarding our results of operations, consistent with how we evaluate our performance. We calculate organic constant currency amounts using the change from prior-period average foreign exchange rates to current-period average foreign exchange rates, as applied to local-currency operating results for the current period, and then exclude the impact of acquisitions and divestitures.
About Laureate Education, Inc.
Laureate Education, Inc. operates five higher education institutions across Mexico and Peru, enrolling more than 470,000 students in high-quality undergraduate, graduate, and specialized degree programs through campus-based and online learning. Our universities have a deep commitment to academic quality and innovation, strive for market-leading employability outcomes, and work to make higher education more accessible. At Laureate, we know that when our students succeed, countries prosper, and societies benefit. Learn more at laureate.net.
Key Metrics and Financial Tables
(Dollars in millions, except per share amounts, and may not sum due to rounding)
New and Total Enrollments by segment
Consolidated Statements of Operations
Revenue and Adjusted EBITDA by segment
IN MILLIONS
nm - percentage changes not meaningful
(1) Organic Constant Currency results exclude the period-over-period impact from currency fluctuations, acquisitions and divestitures. Organic Constant Currency is calculated using the change from prior-period average foreign exchange rates to current-period average foreign exchange rates, as applied to local-currency operating results for the current period. The “Organic Constant Currency” percentage changes are calculated by dividing the Organic Constant Currency amounts by the 2024 Revenues and Adjusted EBITDA amounts, excluding the impact of the divestitures.
Consolidated Balance Sheets
Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows
Non-GAAP Reconciliation (1 of 3)
The following table reconciles Net income to Adjusted EBITDA:
(1) Represents non-cash, share-based compensation expense pursuant to the provisions of ASC Topic 718, "Stock Compensation."
Non-GAAP Reconciliations (2 of 3)
The following table reconciles Net income to Adjusted net income and Adjusted EPS:
(1) Per share amounts on a dilutive basis. Earnings per share is calculated based on income available to common shareholders, which excludes income attributable to noncontrolling interests.
(2) For 2024, discrete tax items represent a non-recurring, non-cash deferred tax benefit of approximately $37.9 million related to the release of a deferred tax liability that was no longer required upon completion of an entity restructuring.
Non-GAAP Reconciliations (3 of 3)
The following table reconciles Net income to Adjusted net income and Adjusted EPS:
(1) Per share amounts on a dilutive basis. Earnings per share is calculated based on income available to common shareholders, which excludes income attributable to noncontrolling interests.
(2) For 2025, discrete tax items represent a non-recurring, non-cash income tax benefit of approximately $4.7 million that was recorded upon resolution of a tax contingency related to a dormant subsidiary. For 2024, discrete tax items represent a non-recurring, non-cash deferred tax benefit of approximately $37.9 million related to the release of a deferred tax liability that was no longer required upon completion of an entity restructuring.
Investor Relations Contact:
ir@laureate.net
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