2U (NASDAQ:TWOU) Coverage Initiated by Analysts at StockNews.com

StockNews.com assumed coverage on shares of 2U (NASDAQ:TWOU) in a research note issued to investors on Thursday. The brokerage issued a hold rating on the software maker’s stock.

A number of other equities analysts have also weighed in on the company. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on 2U from $2.00 to $1.00 and set an equal weight rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 13th. Needham & Company LLC downgraded 2U from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report on Tuesday, February 13th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, 2U currently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average price target of $4.31.

2U Stock Down 3.9 %

Shares of NASDAQ:TWOU opened at $0.27 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.97, a current ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.09. 2U has a twelve month low of $0.27 and a twelve month high of $6.10. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $0.40 and its 200-day moving average is $1.06.

2U (NASDAQ:TWOU) last issued its earnings results on Monday, February 12th. The software maker reported $0.43 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.50 by ($0.07). 2U had a negative return on equity of 7.92% and a negative net margin of 33.58%. The firm had revenue of $255.66 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $275.84 million. As a group, equities research analysts predict that 2U will post -0.25 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of TWOU. Barclays PLC grew its stake in shares of 2U by 131.3% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 126,320 shares of the software maker’s stock worth $312,000 after acquiring an additional 71,696 shares during the period. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of 2U by 14.7% during the 3rd quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. now owns 1,759,732 shares of the software maker’s stock worth $4,347,000 after acquiring an additional 225,253 shares during the period. Oak Thistle LLC bought a new position in shares of 2U during the 4th quarter worth $39,000. ARK Investment Management LLC grew its stake in shares of 2U by 11.2% during the 3rd quarter. ARK Investment Management LLC now owns 9,765,122 shares of the software maker’s stock worth $24,120,000 after acquiring an additional 981,368 shares during the period. Finally, Los Angeles Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of 2U by 37.2% during the 3rd quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC now owns 215,142 shares of the software maker’s stock worth $531,000 after acquiring an additional 58,331 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 80.53% of the company’s stock.

About 2U

2U, Inc operates as an online education platform company in the United States and internationally. The company operates through two segments, Degree Program and Alternative Credential. The Degree Program segment provides the technology and services to nonprofit colleges and universities to enable the online delivery of degree programs.