The Screen · Consumer Defensive · Education & Training Services
Stride, Inc.
LRN · the NYSE · USD · Market cap $3.5B · 8,600 employees
Stride, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, provides proprietary and third-party online curriculum, software systems, and educational services in the United States and internationally.
FAIL · Does not pass the screen
84.58 USD
At the last full screen 2026-08-26
Screened 2026-08-26 · the tape above runs as of 16:37 UTC · 29 Aug · two dates, stated on purpose · verdict and workings shown in full · never trimmed
The Label · The Season, Not the Day
This name holds its distribution label.
Stride, Inc. holds its Distribution at $84.58. Consolidating, no directional conviction, held for 124 days.
As held on the ledger · 2026-08-26
Phase
Distribution · caution
Quantitative state
Consolidating, no directional conviction, held for 124 days
Price at the screen
$84.58
Valuation
11.85 trailing · 9.12 forward price to earnings
Values screen
FAIL· score 70.0
Beta
0.10
The Workings
Five Screens, Shown in Full
Does not pass. Accounts receivable
Test
Figure
Limit
What it means
Status
Business activity
Permissible
Core business clean
Its core business isn't built on prohibited lines: no gambling, alcohol, tobacco, weapons, or interest-based lending.
Pass
Debt load
23.97%
Below 33%
Interest-bearing debt is just 24.0% of its assets, well under the one-third ceiling: it does not run on borrowed money.
Pass
Interest-bearing cash
8.84%
Below 33%
Cash held in interest-bearing accounts and securities is 8.8% of assets, under the one-third limit.
Pass
Receivables
58.51%
Below 49%
Money owed to the company is 58.5% of assets, above the 49% limit.
Fail
Revenue purity
0.00%
Below 5%
Only 0.0% of revenue comes from non-compliant sources, under the 5% line.
Pass
Five checks adapted from AAOIFI screening standards: business activity plus four balance-sheet ratios. All five must pass for ethical clearance. Every figure is arithmetic on public accounts, not judgement.
Fair value range in USD, drawn from the 2026-08-26 screen. The gold marker is the market price at the same screen. A 47.8% margin of safety to the base estimate.
Third-party analyst targets: 2 covering, consensus None. The average target sits +29% from the screen price.
Reading the gap · Both our model and the analysts see meaningful upside from here.
Price History & Projections
Where it has been, where the models see it going. History from market close data; projection points are our fair-value estimates and third-party analyst targets, dated to the 2026-08-26 screen.
Fair value and rating are our own model estimates; the Street's range reflects third-party analyst estimates. Analysis, not advice.
The Business, in Plain Words
Online Schooling Stays Steady But Offers Little Upside
Picture a parent logging in from anywhere to keep lessons running when traditional schools falter. Stride supplies the software and curriculum that make that possible, delivering a 12% profit margin and 20% return on equity. Yet revenue is expanding at just 3% a year, and the moat around the business remains unclear even after the ethical screen clears.
We pass because the modest growth and unknown competitive edge leave little reason to expect the shares will close the gap to our $125 fair value from the current $87. Forward earnings sit at 10 times, but slow top-line progress rarely rewards that multiple over time. Analyst targets cluster near $114 with no strong consensus behind them.
The main risk is that thin demand growth leaves the business exposed to any fresh entrant or policy shift that trims enrolment. Analysis, not advice.
The risks · The main risks here are ordinary market swings and the chance our fair-value read proves too optimistic.
Plain-English interpretation of our own screen data. Analysis, not advice.
Where & How to Trade
LRN trades on the NYSE. As a listed security it is accessible through almost any international broker offering its home market. New to this, or investing from abroad? Our guide to accessing global markets covers brokers, currencies and the practical steps.
The framework has shifted from markdown to distribution since the last review. Smart money appears to be selling into strength. Institutional holders may be rotating out. Price has moved down 10.6% since our last review. Ethical screening: FAIL. This security does not pass our values-based screening criteria. The risk-adjusted return profile shows good risk-adjusted returns. Our composite framework grades it C, carrying a low risk profile. Technically it is sitting below its long-term trend line with momentum reading neutral. Over the past year the shares are down 29%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 33%. The street (2 analysts) rates it none, with a mean price target of $114.
2026-07-18Markdown$97.71+0.0%Entry 3
The framework reads markdown. Price is trending lower. Sellers are in control and the prior trend has reversed. Price has moved down 0.0% since our last review. Ethical screening: PASS with passing ethical screen. The risk-adjusted return profile shows good risk-adjusted returns. Our composite framework grades it C, carrying a low risk profile. Technically it is sitting below its long-term trend line with momentum reading neutral. Over the past year the shares are down 29%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 33%. The street (2 analysts) rates it none, with a mean price target of $114.
2026-07-03Markdown$97.71+0.0%Entry 2
The framework reads markdown. Price is trending lower. Sellers are in control and the prior trend has reversed. Price has moved down 0.0% since our last review. Ethical screening: PASS with passing ethical screen (70). The risk-adjusted return profile shows good risk-adjusted returns.
2026-07-02Markdown$97.71Entry 1
The framework reads markdown. Price is trending lower. Sellers are in control and the prior trend has reversed. Ethical screening: PASS with passing ethical screen (70). The risk-adjusted return profile shows good risk-adjusted returns.
Each entry above was written on its date, before the outcome. A journal you can prune is not a journal.
