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Side-by-side financial comparison of LAUREATE EDUCATION, INC. (LAUR) and Strategic Education, Inc. (STRA). Click either name above to swap in a different company.
LAUREATE EDUCATION, INC. is the larger business by last-quarter revenue ($541.4M vs $305.9M, roughly 1.8× Strategic Education, Inc.). LAUREATE EDUCATION, INC. runs the higher net margin — 31.7% vs 9.7%, a 22.0% gap on every dollar of revenue. On growth, LAUREATE EDUCATION, INC. posted the faster year-over-year revenue change (27.9% vs -0.8%). Strategic Education, Inc. produced more free cash flow last quarter ($57.3M vs $26.4M). Over the past eight quarters, LAUREATE EDUCATION, INC.'s revenue compounded faster (40.2% CAGR vs -1.0%).
Laureate Education, Inc. is a company based in Miami, Florida, United States. The firm owns and operates Laureate International Universities, with campuses in Mexico and Peru. The company is publicly traded on the Nasdaq.
Strategic Education, Inc. (SEI) is an education services holding company and is formerly known as Strayer Education, Inc. The company owns for-profit, online Capella University and Strayer University, as well as non-degree programs schools such as DevMountain, Hackbright Academy, and Sophia Learning.
LAUR vs STRA — Head-to-Head
Income Statement — Q4 2025 vs Q1 2026
| Metric | | |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue | $541.4M | $305.9M |
| Net Profit | $171.6M | $29.7M |
| Gross Margin | 35.8% | — |
| Operating Margin | 33.2% | 13.0% |
| Net Margin | 31.7% | 9.7% |
| Revenue YoY | 27.9% | -0.8% |
| Net Profit YoY | 83.2% | -9.3% |
| EPS (diluted) | $1.14 | $1.24 |
Green = leading value per metric. Periods may differ when fiscal calendars don't align.
8-Quarter Revenue & Profit Trend
Side-by-side quarterly history. Quarters aligned by calendar period so offset fiscal years line up.
| Q1 26 | — | $305.9M | ||
| Q4 25 | $541.4M | $323.2M | ||
| Q3 25 | $400.2M | $319.9M | ||
| Q2 25 | $524.2M | $321.5M | ||
| Q1 25 | $236.2M | $303.6M | ||
| Q4 24 | $423.4M | $311.5M | ||
| Q3 24 | $368.6M | $306.0M | ||
| Q2 24 | $499.2M | $312.3M |
| Q1 26 | — | $29.7M | ||
| Q4 25 | $171.6M | $37.9M | ||
| Q3 25 | $34.5M | $26.6M | ||
| Q2 25 | $95.1M | $32.3M | ||
| Q1 25 | $-19.5M | $29.7M | ||
| Q4 24 | $93.6M | $25.3M | ||
| Q3 24 | $85.5M | $27.7M | ||
| Q2 24 | $128.1M | $29.9M |
| Q1 26 | — | — | ||
| Q4 25 | 35.8% | — | ||
| Q3 25 | 20.9% | — | ||
| Q2 25 | 39.5% | — | ||
| Q1 25 | -0.9% | — | ||
| Q4 24 | 32.0% | — | ||
| Q3 24 | 22.4% | — | ||
| Q2 24 | 36.1% | — |
| Q1 26 | — | 13.0% | ||
| Q4 25 | 33.2% | 16.0% | ||
| Q3 25 | 17.9% | 11.6% | ||
| Q2 25 | 36.9% | 14.2% | ||
| Q1 25 | -5.6% | 13.1% | ||
| Q4 24 | 29.3% | 11.6% | ||
| Q3 24 | 19.5% | 11.9% | ||
| Q2 24 | 33.4% | 13.4% |
| Q1 26 | — | 9.7% | ||
| Q4 25 | 31.7% | 11.7% | ||
| Q3 25 | 8.6% | 8.3% | ||
| Q2 25 | 18.1% | 10.1% | ||
| Q1 25 | -8.3% | 9.8% | ||
| Q4 24 | 22.1% | 8.1% | ||
| Q3 24 | 23.2% | 9.1% | ||
| Q2 24 | 25.7% | 9.6% |
| Q1 26 | — | $1.24 | ||
| Q4 25 | $1.14 | $1.65 | ||
| Q3 25 | $0.23 | $1.15 | ||
| Q2 25 | $0.65 | $1.37 | ||
| Q1 25 | $-0.13 | $1.24 | ||
| Q4 24 | $0.60 | $1.05 | ||
| Q3 24 | $0.56 | $1.15 | ||
| Q2 24 | $0.83 | $1.24 |
Balance Sheet & Financial Strength
Snapshot of each company's liquidity, leverage and book value from the latest quarter.
| Metric | | |
|---|---|---|
| Cash + ST InvestmentsLiquidity on hand | $146.7M | $140.8M |
| Total DebtLower is stronger | $73.1M | — |
| Stockholders' EquityBook value | $1.2B | $1.6B |
| Total Assets | $2.2B | $2.0B |
| Debt / EquityLower = less leverage | 0.06× | — |
8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.
| Q1 26 | — | $140.8M | ||
| Q4 25 | $146.7M | $148.1M | ||
| Q3 25 | $241.0M | $172.6M | ||
| Q2 25 | $135.3M | $164.9M | ||
| Q1 25 | $109.8M | $182.6M | ||
| Q4 24 | $91.3M | $184.0M | ||
| Q3 24 | $134.4M | $222.1M | ||
| Q2 24 | $128.8M | $256.2M |
| Q1 26 | — | — | ||
| Q4 25 | $73.1M | — | ||
| Q3 25 | $70.6M | — | ||
| Q2 25 | $78.1M | — | ||
| Q1 25 | $91.0M | — | ||
| Q4 24 | $59.0M | — | ||
| Q3 24 | $129.8M | — | ||
| Q2 24 | $203.0M | — |
| Q1 26 | — | $1.6B | ||
| Q4 25 | $1.2B | $1.6B | ||
| Q3 25 | $1.1B | $1.7B | ||
| Q2 25 | $1.1B | $1.7B | ||
| Q1 25 | $908.5M | $1.6B | ||
| Q4 24 | $959.5M | $1.7B | ||
| Q3 24 | $897.7M | $1.7B | ||
| Q2 24 | $918.0M | $1.7B |
| Q1 26 | — | $2.0B | ||
| Q4 25 | $2.2B | $2.0B | ||
| Q3 25 | $2.1B | $2.1B | ||
| Q2 25 | $2.0B | $2.1B | ||
| Q1 25 | $1.9B | $2.1B | ||
| Q4 24 | $1.9B | $2.0B | ||
| Q3 24 | $1.9B | $2.2B | ||
| Q2 24 | $2.1B | $2.2B |
| Q1 26 | — | — | ||
| Q4 25 | 0.06× | — | ||
| Q3 25 | 0.06× | — | ||
| Q2 25 | 0.07× | — | ||
| Q1 25 | 0.10× | — | ||
| Q4 24 | 0.06× | — | ||
| Q3 24 | 0.14× | — | ||
| Q2 24 | 0.22× | — |
Cash Flow & Capital Efficiency
How much cash each business actually produces after reinvestment. Cash flow is harder to manipulate than net income.
| Metric | | |
|---|---|---|
| Operating Cash FlowLast quarter | $93.4M | $67.7M |
| Free Cash FlowOCF − Capex | $26.4M | $57.3M |
| FCF MarginFCF / Revenue | 4.9% | 18.7% |
| Capex IntensityCapex / Revenue | 12.4% | — |
| Cash ConversionOCF / Net Profit | 0.54× | 2.27× |
| TTM Free Cash FlowTrailing 4 quarters | $263.1M | $153.9M |
8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.
| Q1 26 | — | $67.7M | ||
| Q4 25 | $93.4M | $39.2M | ||
| Q3 25 | $141.0M | $60.1M | ||
| Q2 25 | $74.1M | $31.2M | ||
| Q1 25 | $57.8M | $67.7M | ||
| Q4 24 | $40.7M | $15.9M | ||
| Q3 24 | $118.7M | $51.5M | ||
| Q2 24 | $40.2M | $24.3M |
| Q1 26 | — | $57.3M | ||
| Q4 25 | $26.4M | $27.0M | ||
| Q3 25 | $122.8M | $49.3M | ||
| Q2 25 | $60.8M | $20.4M | ||
| Q1 25 | $53.2M | $57.3M | ||
| Q4 24 | $3.4M | $4.7M | ||
| Q3 24 | $110.7M | $42.1M | ||
| Q2 24 | $29.5M | $13.6M |
| Q1 26 | — | 18.7% | ||
| Q4 25 | 4.9% | 8.3% | ||
| Q3 25 | 30.7% | 15.4% | ||
| Q2 25 | 11.6% | 6.3% | ||
| Q1 25 | 22.5% | 18.9% | ||
| Q4 24 | 0.8% | 1.5% | ||
| Q3 24 | 30.0% | 13.8% | ||
| Q2 24 | 5.9% | 4.3% |
| Q1 26 | — | — | ||
| Q4 25 | 12.4% | 3.8% | ||
| Q3 25 | 4.5% | 3.4% | ||
| Q2 25 | 2.5% | 3.4% | ||
| Q1 25 | 2.0% | 3.4% | ||
| Q4 24 | 8.8% | 3.6% | ||
| Q3 24 | 2.2% | 3.1% | ||
| Q2 24 | 2.1% | 3.4% |
| Q1 26 | — | 2.27× | ||
| Q4 25 | 0.54× | 1.03× | ||
| Q3 25 | 4.09× | 2.26× | ||
| Q2 25 | 0.78× | 0.97× | ||
| Q1 25 | — | 2.27× | ||
| Q4 24 | 0.43× | 0.63× | ||
| Q3 24 | 1.39× | 1.86× | ||
| Q2 24 | 0.31× | 0.81× |
Financial Flow Comparison
Revenue → gross profit → operating profit → net profit for each company.
Revenue Breakdown by Segment
LAUR
| Mexico Segment | $275.9M | 51% |
| Peru Segment | $265.5M | 49% |
STRA
| U.S. Higher Education | $221.0M | 72% |
| Australia/New Zealand | $48.3M | 16% |
| Education Technology Services | $34.3M | 11% |
