DeVry, Inc.

DeVry, Inc. (DV) just hit a 52-week high on the heels of increased enrollment and bullish earnings forecasts. The company is scheduled to announce results for the second quarter on Jan 27.

Company Description

DeVry is the holding company for DeVry University, Ross University, Chamberlain College of Nursing and Becker Professional Review.

DeVry University provides rigorous academic preparation for careers in technology, business and management and delivers undergraduate, graduate and life long learning programs.

Ross University provides educational programs for general medical and veterinary practice.

Chamberlain College of Nursing provides quality and innovative undergraduate health care education programs.

Becker Professional Review provides preparatory coursework for professional certification exams such as the certified public accountant (CPA), certified management accountant (CMA) and chartered financial analyst (CFA).

Bullish Forecasts

DeVry continues to see higher earnings estimates. Analysts are calling for earnings of $2.23 per share for the fiscal year ending June 2009. Two months ago, the consensus estimate was $2.20 per share.

Wall Street is projecting 25% earnings per share growth for the year ending June 2009 followed by 25% more growth for the next year.

The company is scheduled to announce results for the second quarter on Jan 27.

Enrollment is Rising

DeVry recently announced that new undergraduate fall enrollment increased 19.7% to 15,811 students, versus 13,204 in the previous year. Total undergraduate student enrollment jumped16.9% to 52,146 students from 44,594 in fall 2007.

Rewarding Shareholders with Income

DeVry recently approved a 33% dividend increase to 16 cents per share on an annual basis. A semi-annual dividend of 8 cents was paid out on January 9. The higher income comes on the heels of a previous dividend boost of 20%.

Strong Quarterly Results

The company reported fiscal first-quarter earnings of 48 cents per share, exceeding the consensus estimate by 9% and improving on the year-prior total. Revenues jumped 21.3% year-over-year to $303.7 million.

Read the full analyst report on DV