Laureate Education reported higher third-quarter revenue and profit, alongside growth in student enrollment over the first nine months of 2026. The Miami-based operator of five higher-education institutions in Mexico and Peru also reaffirmed its full-year outlook and increased its share-repurchase authorization by $150 million.
Quarterly results benefited from differences in academic-calendar timing, while net income also included a one-time tax benefit. Those factors are important context for comparing the period with last year.
Key details
- Third-quarter revenue rose 21% to $485.1 million as reported. In constant currency, revenue increased 14%. Laureate said semester start dates added about $29 million of revenue compared with the year-earlier quarter.
- Operating income increased to $119.1 million from $71.5 million in the third quarter of 2025.
- Net income climbed to $101.2 million from $34.4 million. The increase reflected higher operating income and a discrete $25.4 million tax benefit recorded in the quarter.
- Adjusted EBITDA was $146.8 million, up from $94.8 million. Laureate said academic-calendar timing added about $26 million to third-quarter Adjusted EBITDA compared with the same period last year.
- Enrollment grew in the first nine months: new enrollments were up 9% and total enrollments rose 6% year over year.
- Nine-month revenue increased 18% to $1.37 billion as reported, or 8% in constant currency. Academic-calendar timing contributed about $20 million to revenue for the period.
- Nine-month operating income rose to $315.0 million from $251.6 million. Net income was $216.7 million, compared with $112.3 million in the first nine months of 2025.
- Laureate reaffirmed its full-year 2026 guidance. The announcement did not include guidance figures in the material provided here.
- The company added $150 million to its share-repurchase authorization. The increase is authorization to buy back shares; it does not itself indicate how much Laureate has repurchased or when it will do so.
What the results show
The reported revenue growth was stronger than the constant-currency growth, and Laureate also identified academic-calendar timing as a boost to both quarterly revenue and Adjusted EBITDA. The quarter’s net-income increase additionally included the $25.4 million tax benefit. These items help explain why the headline growth rates may not represent underlying operating growth on their own.