Perdoceo Education CEO Sells $1.8 Million Worth of Shares Among Active Insider Sales

Todd S. Nelson, President and CEO of Perdoceo Education Corporation (NASDAQ:PRDO), reported the sale of 51,346 shares in open-market transactions on March 16 and March 17, 2026, according to a SEC Form 4 filing.

Transaction summary

Metric	Value
Shares sold (direct)	51,346
Transaction value	~$1.8 million
Post-transaction shares (direct)	432,368
Post-transaction value (direct ownership)	~$15.2 million

Transaction value based on SEC Form 4 weighted average purchase price ($34.89); post-transaction value based on March 17, 2026 market close ($35.11).

Key questions

• How does the size of this sale compare to Nelson's prior transactions?
  This sale of 51,346 shares is slightly above the recent median sale size of 48,000 shares.
• What is the context of this transaction?
  Before the 51,346 shares were sold as part of a Rule 10b5-1 trading plan, on March 14, 91,787 shares were withheld for tax obligations related to shares that vested four days earlier.

Company overview

Metric	Value
Revenue (TTM)	$846.10 million
Net income (TTM)	$159.91 million
Dividend yield	1.74%
1-year price change (as of 3/21/26)	39.35%

Company snapshot

Perdoceo Education Corporation is an education provider that offers postsecondary education programs through online, campus-based, and blended formats, with a focus on career-oriented disciplines such as business, healthcare, information technology, and criminal justice. It generates revenue through its three institutions: Colorado Technical University (CTU), The American InterContinental University System (AIUS), and University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences (USAHS). It allows learners and working professionals to pursue flexible, accredited degree programs.

What this transaction means for investors

Insider investors of PRDO have been highly active in recent weeks, as officers, board directors, and Nelson have been conducting multiple transactions. On March 10, the CEO received 98,314 shares from vested restricted stock units. Half of the shares were granted under a time-based incentive compensation plan, and the other half under a performance-based plan.

The 91,787 shares disposed of on the 14th were strictly shares surrendered to satisfy tax withholding obligations of the vesting of restricted stock units. To the CEO’s benefit, he also had 73,140 performance-based stock units that vested into shares that day. That all led up to the sale of shares on March 16 and 17, which were part of a Rule 10b5-1 trading plan, which allows insiders to sell or buy shares in advance.

While many of the other insider transactions also involve pre-scheduled trading plans, it would be a great time to sell shares for profit, as Perdoceo Education’s financials and stock have been growing consistently. The company reported its Q4 earnings for fiscal year 2025, which included a 24.20% year-over-year (YoY) increase in annual revenue, the first double-digit increase in recent history. Perdoceo’s stock is up 17.83% so far in 2026 (as of March 21), following four consecutive years of gains.

Adé Hennis has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.