COUR vs LAUR vs STRA vs UDMY

For growth investors, Coursera, Inc.

(COUR) is the stronger pick with 9. 0% revenue growth year-over-year, versus 0. 4% for Udemy, Inc. (UDMY). Strategic Education, Inc. (STRA) offers the better valuation at 14. 6x trailing P/E (11. 0x forward), making it the more compelling value choice. Analysts rate Coursera, Inc. (COUR) a "Buy" — based on 17 analyst ratings — the highest consensus in this comparison. The "better buy" depends entirely on your goals: growth investors should weight revenue trajectory, value investors should weight P/E and PEG, and income investors should weight dividend yield and streak.

On trailing P/E, Strategic Education, Inc.

(STRA) is the cheapest at 14. 6x versus Udemy, Inc. at 195. 7x. On forward P/E, Udemy, Inc. is actually cheaper at 10. 1x — notably different from the trailing picture, reflecting expected earnings growth.

Over the past 5 years, Laureate Education, Inc.

(LAUR) delivered a total return of +200. 4%, compared to -82. 7% for Coursera, Inc. (COUR). Over 10 years, the gap is even starker: LAUR returned +216. 8% versus COUR's -86. 1%. Past returns do not guarantee future results, and the stock with the higher historical return may already have its best growth priced in.

By beta (market sensitivity over 5 years), Strategic Education, Inc.

(STRA) is the lower-risk stock at 0. 48β versus Udemy, Inc. 's 1. 21β — meaning UDMY is approximately 150% more volatile than STRA relative to the S&P 500. On balance sheet safety, Coursera, Inc. (COUR) carries a lower debt/equity ratio of 1% versus 71% for Laureate Education, Inc. — giving it more financial flexibility in a downturn.

By revenue growth (latest reported year), Coursera, Inc.

(COUR) is pulling ahead at 9. 0% versus 0. 4% for Udemy, Inc. (UDMY). On earnings-per-share growth, the picture is similar: Udemy, Inc. grew EPS 104. 6% year-over-year, compared to -1. 6% for Laureate Education, Inc.. Over a 3-year CAGR, COUR leads at 13. 1% annualised revenue growth. Higher growth typically commands a higher valuation multiple — check whether the premium P/E or P/S is justified by the growth rate using the PEG ratio.

Laureate Education, Inc.

(LAUR) is the more profitable company, earning 16. 5% net margin versus -6. 7% for Coursera, Inc. — meaning it keeps 16. 5% of every revenue dollar as bottom-line profit. Operating margin tells a similar story: LAUR leads at 25. 3% versus -10. 3% for COUR. At the gross margin level — before operating expenses — UDMY leads at 65. 6%, reflecting greater pricing power or product mix advantage. Stronger margins indicate durable pricing power, lower cost of revenue, or higher mix of software/services. They are one of the clearest signs of business quality.

On forward earnings alone, Udemy, Inc.

(UDMY) trades at 10. 1x forward P/E versus 15. 3x for Laureate Education, Inc. — 5. 2x cheaper on a one-year earnings basis. Analyst consensus price targets imply the most upside for COUR: 24. 2% to $7. 79.

In this comparison, STRA (3.

2% yield) pays a dividend. COUR, LAUR, UDMY do not pay a meaningful dividend and should not be held primarily for income.

For long-horizon retirement investors, Strategic Education, Inc.

(STRA) is the stronger choice — it scores higher on the combination of lower volatility, dividend reliability, and long-term compounding (low volatility (β 0. 48), 3. 2% yield, +114. 9% 10Y return). Both have compounded well over 10 years (STRA: +114. 9%, UDMY: -81. 7%), confirming both are viable long-term holds — but the lower-volatility option typically results in less emotional selling during corrections. Retirement portfolios generally favour predictability over maximum returns. Consult a financial advisor before making allocation decisions.

Both stocks operate in the Consumer Defensive sector, making this a peer-level intra-sector comparison — the same macro tailwinds and headwinds will affect both.

In terms of investment character: COUR is a small-cap quality compounder stock; LAUR is a small-cap deep-value stock; STRA is a small-cap deep-value stock; UDMY is a small-cap quality compounder stock. STRA pays a dividend while COUR, LAUR, UDMY do not, making them suitable for different income and tax situations. These fundamental differences mean investors should not choose between them on a single metric — the "better stock" depends entirely on which of these characteristics aligns with your investment strategy.