%{{tag.tag}} {{articledata.title}} {{moment(articledata.cdate)}} @{{articledata.company.replace(" ","")}} comment Small-cap stock %Stride (NYSE: $LRN ) is proving to be a big success in the fast-growing market for %OnlineEducation. Founded in 1999 at the height of the dotcom bubble, Stride went public in late 2007 right before the financial crisis of 2008/09. Yet despite these hurdles, Stride has managed to survive and thrive in the increasingly competitive online education space. Today, Stride is a leading online education company that offers an alternative to traditional public-school teaching for students from kindergarten to 12th grade. The company also offers online career learning programs for adults and professionals. In 2024, Stride had revenues of $2.04 billion U.S., operating income of $249.6 million U.S., and boasted nearly 8,000 employees. The company also has some prominent financial backers, including %Oracle (NYSE: $ORCL ) Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Larry Ellison and former junk bond king Michael Milken. The success of Stride is reflected in the company’s stock price, which has gained 27% this year in a down market, risen 135% over the past 12 months, and gained 459% in the last five years. Yet for all its success, LRN stock has a current market cap of $5.90 billion U.S., making it a small-cap stock defined as any security that has a market value of less than $10 billion U.S. Currently, Stride stock trades at 22 times this year’s earnings estimates, which isn’t overly expensive but not cheap either. There’s no dividend, but the stock’s steady climb higher should be enough to help most investors’ portfolio. Now trading at $135 U.S. a share, Stride’s stock has dipped about 7% from its 52-week high of $145 U.S. per share. Buying LRN stock on any further weakness in the share price might be a smart move.