Core Insights - Stride, Inc. (LRN) has rebranded its tutoring services to K12 Tutoring, offering personalized online tutoring to school students since 2022, with a focus on academic gains [1] - The company launched a free one-on-one ELA tutoring program for second and third graders, which has received positive feedback and is showing early signs of improving student engagement and performance [2][4] - Stride's integrated model of K-12 education, tutoring, and career learning provides a competitive edge over rivals like Chegg and Udemy, enhancing retention and satisfaction [3][7] Competitive Landscape - Stride competes with established players such as Chegg, Inc. and Udemy, Inc. in the digital learning space [5] - Chegg focuses on college students with a subscription model, while Udemy offers a marketplace for skills and career-oriented courses [6] - Stride's unique offering of comprehensive educational services under one platform positions it favorably against these competitors [7] Stock Performance and Valuation - LRN shares have decreased by 7% over the past month, underperforming compared to the Zacks Schools industry and the broader market [8] - The stock is currently trading at a forward P/E ratio of 7.19, indicating a discount relative to industry peers [11] - Despite recent downward revisions in earnings estimates for fiscal 2026 and 2027, the company is expected to see year-over-year improvements of 2% and 7.8%, respectively [12][15]

The Consumer Discretionary group has plenty of great stocks, but investors should always be looking for companies that are outperforming their peers. Is InterContinental Hotels (IHG) one of those stocks right now? By taking a look at the stock's year-to-date performance in comparison to its Consumer Discretionary peers, we might be able to answer that question.InterContinental Hotels is one of 266 individual stocks in the Consumer Discretionary sector. Collectively, these companies sit at #12 in the Zacks S ...

Key Takeaways Stride trades at a discount compared with the industry and the broader sector averages.Platform rollout issues caused near-term conversion problems, but Career Learning supports long-term growth.FY26 and FY27 EPS estimates cut by 4.8% and 8.3%, respectively, reflecting near-term enrollment risks for LRN.Stride, Inc. (LRN) is currently trading at a discount compared with the Schools industry peers and the broader Consumer Discretionary sector, with a forward 12-month price-to-earnings (P/E) rat ...

Key Takeaways Platform rollout issues are limiting Stride's FY26 enrollments by 10k-15k, pressuring near-term growth.Long-term drivers, like Career Learning programs and AI integration, remain structurally strong.LRN trades at a steep valuation discount, with EPS still expected to grow through 2027.Stride, Inc. (LRN) is currently going through a critical transition period due to the technical glitches highlighted after the rollout of two new technology platforms, a front-end learning platform and a back-off ...

Core Insights - The Zacks Schools industry is experiencing a recovery driven by increased demand for applied and career-oriented education, particularly in healthcare, skilled trades, cybersecurity, and IT [1][5] - Technology is becoming a significant competitive advantage, with institutions investing in adaptive learning systems and online platforms to enhance student engagement and operational efficiency [2][8] - The industry is consolidating, with larger providers acquiring smaller institutions to expand offerings and improve operational leverage [6] Industry Overview - The Zacks Schools industry includes for-profit education companies offering various programs in finance, healthcare, technology, and skilled trades, focusing on career-oriented education [4] - The sector is addressing the shortage of healthcare professionals through intensive training models linked to industry needs [1][5] Trends Influencing Growth - There is a rising demand for workforce-oriented programs, particularly among adult learners and career switchers, as the labor market increasingly values job-ready skills [5] - Government initiatives supporting vocational education and non-degree pathways are contributing to the growth outlook [3][5] Financial Performance and Valuation - The Zacks Schools industry has a Zacks Industry Rank of 65, placing it in the top 27% of over 250 Zacks industries, indicating positive near-term prospects [11][12] - The industry's forward 12-month price-to-earnings ratio is currently at 12.58X, significantly lower than the S&P 500's 23.57X, suggesting potential undervaluation [18] Key Companies and Their Prospects - **McGraw Hill**: Experiencing growth from digital and subscription models, with a projected fiscal 2026 earnings of $1.63 per share on $2.05 billion in revenues, reflecting a 300% surprise in the last quarter [21][24] - **Grand Canyon Education**: Focused on scalable online expansion and healthcare programs, with expected earnings growth of 12.9% and 11.2% for 2025 and 2026, respectively [27][28] - **Perdoceo Education**: Benefiting from rising student interest and expanding program offerings, with expected earnings growth of 11.4% and 9% for 2025 and 2026 [31][32] - **Adtalem**: Gaining from enrollment momentum and strategic partnerships, with projected earnings growth of 17.7% and 13.7% for fiscal 2026 and 2027 [35][37] - **Nerdy**: Enhancing its platform with AI integration, with improvements in earnings estimates for 2025 and 2026, indicating a potential investment opportunity [39][40]

Core Insights - Stride, Inc.'s Career Learning segment has shown significant growth, with enrollments increasing by 20% year over year to 110,000 and revenues rising by 16.3% to $257.8 million in Q1 of fiscal 2026, reflecting a shift in U.S. education towards career-aligned pathways [1] - Adjusted EBITDA for the same period grew by 29.2% year over year, although the company faced challenges due to a large-scale technology platform overhaul, which increased operating expenses and withdrawal rates [2][3] - The long-term outlook remains positive, with expectations for platform stabilization and continued demand in Career Learning, potentially leading to margin expansion in fiscal 2027 [4] Company Performance - Stride's competitive position in the career learning and K-12 services market is strong, particularly due to its integrated model that combines K-12 education with career learning, which is not fully replicated by competitors [5][7] - The company faces competition from American Public Education, which targets specific adult markets, and Coursera, which offers flexibility and global recognition [6][7] - Stride's stock has underperformed, dropping 61.4% over the past three months, and currently trades at a forward P/E ratio of 7.42, indicating a discount compared to industry peers [8][11] Earnings Outlook - Earnings estimates for fiscal 2026 and 2027 have been revised downwards by 4.8% and 8.3%, respectively, due to ongoing operational challenges and a muted enrollment growth outlook [12] - Despite the downward revisions, the estimates still imply year-over-year improvements of 3.6% for fiscal 2026 and 6.2% for fiscal 2027 [13]

Company Overview - Legacy Education Inc. (LGCY) is part of the Consumer Discretionary sector, which includes 265 companies and is currently ranked 12 in the Zacks Sector Rank [2] - The company has a Zacks Rank of 2 (Buy), indicating a favorable outlook based on earnings estimates and revisions [3] Performance Analysis - Over the past three months, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for LGCY's full-year earnings has increased by 5.6%, reflecting improved analyst sentiment [4] - Year-to-date, LGCY has returned approximately 19.7%, significantly outperforming the Consumer Discretionary sector's average return of 0.7% [4] Industry Context - Legacy Education Inc. operates within the Schools industry, which consists of 19 stocks and is currently ranked 66 in the Zacks Industry Rank [6] - The Schools industry has experienced an average decline of 6.7% year-to-date, indicating that LGCY is performing better than its industry peers [6] Comparative Analysis - Another notable stock in the Consumer Discretionary sector is H World Group (HTHT), which has returned 39.9% year-to-date and also holds a Zacks Rank of 2 (Buy) [5] - H World Group is part of the Hotels and Motels industry, which is ranked 188 and has seen a decline of 4.3% year-to-date [6] Investment Outlook - Investors interested in Consumer Discretionary stocks should continue to monitor Legacy Education Inc. and H World Group for their strong performance [7]

Core Insights - Stride, Inc. (LRN) experienced an 11.3% enrollment growth in Q1 of fiscal 2026, with Career Learning enrollments increasing by 20% and General Education enrollments rising by 5.2% [1][8] - The company's diversified offerings in career learning, particularly in healthcare, IT, and advanced manufacturing, are enhancing its growth prospects as the market shifts towards virtual and career-oriented education [1][4] - However, technical disruptions in its platforms have led to a projected loss of 10,000-15,000 enrollments for fiscal 2026, resulting in a muted outlook despite positive growth trends [3][8] Enrollment and Growth - The 11.3% enrollment growth is primarily driven by a significant 20% increase in Career Learning enrollments [1][8] - General Education enrollments also saw a modest improvement of 5.2% [1] Technical Challenges - Stride has faced technical issues since August 2025, leading to withdrawals from its platforms and a poor customer experience, which negatively impacted conversion rates [2][3] - The company is actively working to resolve these technical challenges, with expectations for major improvements in the coming months [3][4] Market Performance - Stride's stock has declined by 60.8% over the past three months, underperforming compared to the Zacks Schools industry and the broader market [5][8] - Competitors like Strategic Education, Inc. and American Public Education, Inc. are also in the market, with Strategic Education's shares down 3% and American Public Education's shares up 13.8% in the same period [6] Valuation and Earnings Estimates - LRN's stock is currently trading at a forward 12-month P/E ratio of 7.66, which is lower than its competitors, Strategic Education at 12.14 and American Public Education at 17.05 [9][10] - Earnings estimates for fiscal 2026 and 2027 have been revised downwards by 4.8% and 8.3%, respectively, due to ongoing concerns and a muted enrollment outlook [11][12]

Core Insights - Universal Technical Institute (UTI) reported quarterly earnings of $0.34 per share, exceeding the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $0.26 per share, and matching the earnings from the previous year [1] - The company achieved a revenue of $222.44 million for the quarter ended September 2025, surpassing the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 1.28% and showing an increase from $196.36 million year-over-year [3] Earnings Performance - The earnings surprise for the quarter was +30.77%, with a previous quarter surprise of +58.33% [2] - UTI has consistently surpassed consensus EPS estimates over the last four quarters [2] Stock Performance - UTI shares have increased by approximately 12.6% since the beginning of the year, slightly outperforming the S&P 500's gain of 12.5% [4] Future Outlook - The current consensus EPS estimate for the upcoming quarter is $0.24 on revenues of $218.61 million, and for the current fiscal year, it is $0.96 on revenues of $902.3 million [8] - The Zacks Rank for UTI is currently 4 (Sell), indicating expectations of underperformance in the near future [7] Industry Context - The Schools industry, to which UTI belongs, is currently ranked in the top 29% of over 250 Zacks industries, suggesting a favorable outlook compared to lower-ranked industries [9]

Core Viewpoint - Adtalem Global Education (ATGE) has been outperforming the Consumer Discretionary sector in 2023, with a year-to-date return of approximately 5.4%, while the sector has seen an average loss of 14.7% [4]. Company Performance - Adtalem Global Education is ranked 12 in the Zacks Sector Rank among 265 companies in the Consumer Discretionary group [2]. - The Zacks Rank for ATGE is currently 2 (Buy), indicating a positive earnings outlook [3]. - The Zacks Consensus Estimate for ATGE's full-year earnings has increased by 1.2% over the past quarter, reflecting improved analyst sentiment [4]. Industry Comparison - Adtalem Global Education belongs to the Schools industry, which is ranked 70 in the Zacks Industry Rank. This industry has experienced an average loss of 2.7% this year, indicating that ATGE is performing better than its peers [6]. - In contrast, Ralph Lauren, another stock in the Consumer Discretionary sector, has a year-to-date return of 42.1% and belongs to the Textile - Apparel industry, which is ranked 88 and has declined by 18.8% this year [5][6]. Future Outlook - Investors interested in Consumer Discretionary stocks should monitor Adtalem Global Education and Ralph Lauren, as both companies are expected to maintain their strong performance [7].