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Yahoo
6 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
K-12 Education Is Changing: Can Stride Lead the Next 25 Years?
Stride, Inc. LRN continues to redefine digital education at a time when dissatisfaction with traditional public schooling is hitting historic highs. In its fiscal third-quarter 2025, this online education provider reported a 17.8% year-over-year revenue jump to $613.4 million—beating estimates by $20 million—driven by a 21% surge in total enrollment. Career learning revenue alone grew 33% to $223.9 million, bolstered by 34% enrollment numbers highlight the structural tailwinds favoring Stride. As highlighted by the company in its fiscal third-quarter earnings call, February Gallup Polls suggest that nearly 90% of parents now explore non-college career paths for their children, and more than 15% have considered full-time online schooling—up sharply from pre-pandemic levels. Stride is actively meeting that demand through its career-focused middle and high school programs, tutoring platforms, and innovations like K12 Zone and geo-based social pods that blend digital and real-world management raised its full-year revenue and operating income guidance for fiscal 2025 and is already on track to surpass its 2028 CAGR targets three years early. Despite a slight EPS miss due to higher share count from convertible notes, Stride's fundamentals remain robust, with adjusted operating income up 47% and gross margin expanding 190 basis points to 40.6%.Yet, challenges remain. State-level enrollment caps and the lack of traction in lower grades could limit upside. Still, if Stride can expand its footprint and capitalize on shifting education preferences, its ambitions to lead the next 25 years of K-12 innovation may not be far-fetched. Can Stride Stay Ahead of Chegg and Coursera in Online Learning? As Stride charts its path for the next 25 years of K-12 transformation, competitors like Chegg CHGG and Coursera COUR are also shaping the future of digital education—albeit through different models. Chegg, best known for its study tools and textbook services, is pivoting toward AI-driven learning support. While Chegg doesn't directly compete in K-12 full-time enrollment, its tools increasingly serve high schoolers preparing for college or workforce credentials. Chegg's push into personalized learning may pressure Stride to deepen its academic support meanwhile, is expanding its footprint in online credentialing and high school dual-enrollment programs. Coursera has partnered with universities and governments to offer scalable, low-cost education alternatives—posing a growing challenge to Stride as career education becomes mainstream in K-12. As Stride strengthens its middle and high school pathways, it must continue to differentiate itself from both Chegg and Coursera to maintain its leadership. LRN Stock's Price Performance Shares of this Virginia-based education company have trended downward 8.3% over the past three months, underperforming the Zacks Schools industry and the S&P 500 index. LRN Share Price Performance Image Source: Zacks Investment Research Stride's Valuation Trend Stride stock is currently trading at a discount compared with the industry peers, with a forward 12-month price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio of 2.17, as evidenced by the chart below. LRN Valuation Image Source: Zacks Investment Research Earnings Estimate Revision of LRN LRN's earnings estimates for fiscal 2025 and 2026 have remained unchanged over the past 60 days at $7.09 and $7.76 per share, respectively. However, the estimated figures for fiscal 2025 and 2026 imply year-over-year growth of 51.2% and 9.4%, respectively. EPS Trend Image Source: Zacks Investment Research LRN stock currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Stride, Inc. (LRN) : Free Stock Analysis Report Chegg, Inc. (CHGG) : Free Stock Analysis Report Coursera, Inc. (COUR) : Free Stock Analysis Report This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research ( Zacks Investment Research
Miami Herald
05-02-2025
- Business
- Miami Herald
Some real estate agents go down the wrong path. Note the signs that could be trouble
Collectively, real estate agents don't always have the greatest reputation. In Gallup Polls from recent years, agents' favorability ratings have been just above those of lawyers. To be sure, some buyers and sellers do have bad experiences with their agents. Anything can go wrong in a real estate transaction: Maybe the seller didn't get their desired asking price, the sale took too long or some paperwork got messed up. There's often some kind of hitch, but still, most agents are straight arrows who play by the book. There are some, however, who don't always follow the National Association of Realtors' Code of Ethics: an extensive document under which the business operates. If agents violate the code, they are subject to sanctions. If they do so often, they could be drummed out of the corps. For instance: If you have signed a listing agreement or a buyer-broker contract with one agent, other agents should not be calling you and trying to snatch you away. It's called poaching, and it's against the rules. Agents bad-mouthing their competitors is another code violation. Some violations are also outright illegal. For instance, if an agent discriminates, that's likely a violation of the Fair Housing Act — the law that protects buyers and renters from discrimination based on race, sex, religion, disability, national origin and other factors. That's pretty cut-and-dried: An agent can't refuse to work with potential clients because of these factors. Further, agents can't answer questions about the racial makeup of a neighborhood; if the would-be buyer is interested in that, they'll have to research it on their own. If your agent violates these rules, you should report it to the local Realtors group and maybe even to the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Beyond discrimination, the code covers issues of fairness and strategy. For example, agents are not supposed to disclose information about their clients that may hinder them — or help the other side. That's why working with a so-called dual agent, who works for both the buyer and seller, is a dangerous proposition. Dual agents walk a fine line, and in the end, neither side gets the representation they deserve. An example of what not to do: Sellers' agents shouldn't reveal to buyers just how low their client will go price-wise. Nor should they disclose the reason for selling, or that the seller is in a hurry. Another no-no: Agents cannot put their own interests — or their commissions — above the interests of their clients. They cannot misrepresent themselves or the properties they list. If a rookie agent falsely claims to have years of experience, or if they list a house as 3,000 square feet when it is only 2,500, those are violations. Sometimes, a mistake is inadvertent, with the agent just repeating what they were told. But some agents fudge things intentionally and just hope they don't get caught. Such misrepresentations are a major cause of consumer complaints and legal disputes and, therefore, a key focus of regulatory efforts at the state level. Another area where agents step over the line: giving legal advice. They're not supposed to. The closest they should come is filling in the blanks of a listing agreement or sales contract. They often write addendums or add clauses, but that really should be left to the lawyers. If you have legal questions, obtain advice from an actual attorney. Most real estate agents aren't qualified to answer tax questions, either. Buyers and sellers should seek the advice of an accountant or tax professional if they have questions about the tax implications of their transaction. Lew Sichelman has been covering real estate for more than 50 years. He is a regular contributor to numerous shelter magazines and housing and housing-finance industry publications. Readers can contact him at lsichelman@
