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New Oriental Education & Technology Group Inc.

Data period: Annual Quarterly
NYSE · Consumer Defensive
New Oriental Education & Technology Group Inc.
EDU · Education & Training Services
$54.99
▲ 1.03 (1.91%)
Cached · 10 min
Overall Grade
C
Defensive
B
Enterprising
Profitability
B⤢
Gross Profit Margin 54.6%
Operating Margin 11.4%
Net Income Margin 8.4%
Fin. Health
A⤢
Years to Pay Off Debt 1.8 yrs
Working Capital $1.9B
Valuation
F⤢
Margin of Safety 0.0%
Price-to-Book 2.14x
Cash Flow
C⤢
Free Cash Flow $780M
CapEx % of Net Income 52.0%
Owner Earnings $901M
Defensive — Graham's strict criteria (P/B, P/E, dividends, stability)  ·  Enterprising — Profitability & cash flow focused, accepts higher valuations for quality
About New Oriental Education & Technology Group Inc.
New Oriental Education & Technology Group Inc. through its subsidiaries, provides educational and value-added telecommunication services in the People's Republic of China. It operates through four segments: Educational Services and Test Preparation Courses; Private Label Products and Livestreaming E-Commerce; Overseas Study Consulting Services; and Educational Materials and Distribution. The company offers test preparation courses to students taking language and entrance exams used by educational institutions. It also provides non-academic tutoring courses; intelligent learning systems and devices to offer a digital learning experience for students; and overseas studies consulting services. In addition, the company develops and edits educational materials for language training and test preparation; online education services through the Koolearn.com platform; sells private label products; and engages in livestreaming e-commerce business. Further, it offers educational programs, services, and products to students through schools, learning centers, and bookstores, as well as through its online learning platforms. It distributes its educational materials through various distribution channels, including bookstores and third-party distributors. New Oriental Education & Technology Group Inc. was founded in 1993 and is headquartered in Beijing, the People's Republic of China.
Metric Explanations
What each dimension measures and where the thresholds come from.
Gross Profit Margin
Revenue minus cost of goods sold. Graham's ≥40% threshold identifies businesses with durable pricing power. Note: software and financial companies naturally exceed this; retailers and manufacturers rarely reach it due to their cost structures.
Operating Margin
Profit after operating costs before interest and taxes. A consistent ≥15% operating margin signals a business with real competitive advantages. Capital-intensive industries (airlines, auto, commodities) rarely hit this threshold due to their structural cost base — compare within industry for context.
Net Income Margin
Bottom-line profit as a percentage of revenue. The ≥20% target reflects Buffett's preference for highly profitable businesses. Financial engineering (buybacks, tax optimisation) can inflate this temporarily — look for consistency across multiple years rather than a single strong result.
Years to Pay Off Debt
Total Debt ÷ Net Income. Lower = stronger balance sheet. Important caveat: utilities, telecoms, REITs, and infrastructure companies carry large structural debt by design — their bond-like cash flows service it comfortably at ratios that would alarm Graham. Compare within sector.
Working Capital
Current Assets minus Current Liabilities. Negative working capital can be a deliberate efficiency strategy in businesses that collect cash before paying suppliers (retailers, fast food franchises, subscription businesses). Assess alongside free cash flow generation for full context.
Margin of Safety
How far below the Graham Number the stock trades. Graham required a 33% discount as a buffer against analytical error. However, the Graham Number itself assumes 1960s-era P/E and P/B norms — for modern asset-light businesses it often understates true intrinsic value, making 0% MoS appear misleadingly bad.
Price-to-Book
Market price vs book value per share. Rarely below 1.5x for quality businesses today. Intangible assets (brand, software, patents) don't appear on the balance sheet under accounting rules, making P/B artificially high for asset-light companies like software and consumer brands.
Free Cash Flow
Operating cash flow minus capital expenditures. Buffett's most important metric — cash a business actually generates for its owners after maintaining and growing its asset base. Consistently positive FCF is one of the strongest indicators of a durable, well-run business regardless of accounting profits.
CapEx % of Net Income
Capital expenditure as a share of net income. Low CapEx signals a capital-light business that doesn't need heavy reinvestment to sustain earnings — Buffett's ideal. High CapEx is structurally necessary in manufacturing, airlines, telecoms, and semiconductors. For these industries, a high reading reflects the business model, not poor management.
Owner Earnings
Net Income + Depreciation & Amortisation − Capital Expenditures. Buffett's preferred measure of a company's true annual earning power — what could theoretically be distributed to owners without impairing the business. More reliable than reported EPS because it accounts for the capital cost of maintaining the business.
Market Data
Market Cap $8.5B
Enterprise Value $4.6B
P/E (TTM) 17.18
Dividend Yield 3.71%
Exchange NYSE
Key Margins
Gross Profit 54.6%
Operating Margin 11.4%
Net Margin 8.4%
Company Info
Sector Consumer Defensive
Industry Education & Training Services
Employees 81054
Country China
Visit website
📖
Full Graham Analysis

Mr. Market is currently offering New Oriental Education & Technology Group Inc. at $54.99.

The business passes only 3 of 7 of Graham's defensive criteria — well below his required standard.

At $54.99, the stock trades at a 32% premium to its Graham Number of $41.66. Graham would consider this price speculative.

There is no margin of safety at the current price. Graham would advise patience and waiting for a better entry point.

Trading at 6.2x NCAV. Expected for most quality businesses — NCAV was designed to find depression-era bargains and rarely applies to modern profitable companies..

Conclusion: By Graham's standards, this stock is speculative at its current price. The intelligent investor would look elsewhere or wait.

Showing Key Metrics
Income Highlights
Metric 2026 2025 2024 2023 2022
Gross Profit % 54.6%▼ 55.4%▲ 52.5%▼ 53.0%• N/A
Operating Margin % 11.4%▲ 10.0%▲ 8.1%▲ 6.3%• N/A
Net Income % 8.4%▲ 7.6%▲ 7.2%▲ 5.9%• N/A
Diluted EPS 3.00• N/A• 1.80▲ 1.00▲ -7.00
Balance Sheet Highlights
Metric 2026 2025 2024 2023 2022
Total Assets $8.8B $7.8B $7.5B $6.4B N/A
Total Debt $849M▲ $804M▲ $662M▲ $459M• N/A
Working Capital $1.9B▲ $1.9B▼ $2.4B▲ $2.2B• N/A
Years to Pay Debt 1.79 2.16 2.14 2.59 N/A
Cash Flow Highlights
Metric 2026 2025 2024 2023 2022
Free Cash Flow $780M▲ $637M▼ $839M▲ $828M• N/A
Owner Earnings $901M $777M $700M $443M N/A
CapEx % of Net Income 52.0% 69.7% 91.5% 80.7% N/A
3/7
Graham Score
Speculative Investor
Fails most of Graham's safety criteria. Treat with caution.
Graham's Fair Value
$41.66
Margin of Safety
0%
Market Cap / Net Assets
2.0x
Net Assets: $4.3B
Warren's Owner Earnings
$901M
Latest fiscal year
Graham's 7 Criteria
Defensive Investor Checklist
3/7 — Speculative Investor
✅
Adequate Size
Graham required companies large enough to withstand economic downturns. This threshold ($1.5B) is inflation-adjusted from Graham's original $100M — virtually all S&P 500 companies pass this today.
$5.7B
vs > $1.5B revenue
❌
Strong Financial Condition
Current assets must be at least twice current liabilities. Note: highly profitable companies (Apple, Domino's) often run negative or low working capital deliberately — they collect cash fast and stretch payables. A failing score here is not always a warning sign.
1.50x
vs Current Ratio > 2.0x
❌
Earnings Stability
Graham required uninterrupted positive earnings. Any loss year is a red flag for defensive investors. Growth companies and cyclicals may show occasional losses during investment cycles or downturns without being fundamentally unsound.
1 loss years (4 yrs data)
vs No negative EPS years
✅
Dividend Record
Graham valued dividends as evidence of financial discipline and shareholder alignment. Many excellent modern businesses (Alphabet, Amazon, Berkshire Hathaway) pay no dividend, preferring to reinvest cash at high rates of return. Failing this criterion does not indicate a poor business — it may indicate a high-growth one.
3.71%
vs Uninterrupted dividends
✅
Earnings Growth
EPS grew from $1.00 to $3.00 over 2 years. Graham's 33% threshold was set over a 10-year period. Measured over fewer years (as here), the bar is proportionally lower. Share buybacks can also inflate EPS growth without reflecting underlying business improvement.
+200.0% EPS growth
vs > 33% EPS growth
❌
Moderate P/E Ratio
Graham's 15x P/E threshold was calibrated to 1960s market averages when interest rates were higher. Today's lower rate environment structurally supports higher multiples — the S&P 500 long-run average P/E is now closer to 20–25x. A stock trading at 20x is not automatically speculative in the modern context.
17.2x
vs P/E ≤ 15.0x
❌
Moderate Price-to-Book
Graham's 1.5x P/B threshold made sense when most company value was tangible. Today, intangible assets — brand, software, patents, network effects — rarely appear on the balance sheet. A high P/B in tech, pharma, or consumer brands often reflects intangible value, not overvaluation. P/FCF or EV/EBITDA are more reliable for asset-light businesses.
2.14x P/B (P/E×P/B: 36.8)
vs P/B ≤ 1.5x | P/E × P/B ≤ 22.5
Graham's 7 Criteria — Explained
What each criterion measures and why it matters.
✅ Adequate Size — $5.7B vs > $1.5B revenue
Graham required companies large enough to withstand economic downturns. This threshold ($1.5B) is inflation-adjusted from Graham's original $100M — virtually all S&P 500 companies pass this today.
"The minimum size of an enterprise should be not less than $100 million of annual sales."
❌ Strong Financial Condition — 1.50x vs Current Ratio > 2.0x
Current assets must be at least twice current liabilities. Note: highly profitable companies (Apple, Domino's) often run negative or low working capital deliberately — they collect cash fast and stretch payables. A failing score here is not always a warning sign.
"For industrial companies, current assets should be at least twice current liabilities."
❌ Earnings Stability — 1 loss years (4 yrs data) vs No negative EPS years
Graham required uninterrupted positive earnings. Any loss year is a red flag for defensive investors. Growth companies and cyclicals may show occasional losses during investment cycles or downturns without being fundamentally unsound.
"The company should have shown no deficit in the past ten years."
✅ Dividend Record — 3.71% vs Uninterrupted dividends
Graham valued dividends as evidence of financial discipline and shareholder alignment. Many excellent modern businesses (Alphabet, Amazon, Berkshire Hathaway) pay no dividend, preferring to reinvest cash at high rates of return. Failing this criterion does not indicate a poor business — it may indicate a high-growth one.
"Some current dividend payments — for at least the past 20 years."
✅ Earnings Growth — +200.0% EPS growth vs > 33% EPS growth
EPS grew from $1.00 to $3.00 over 2 years. Graham's 33% threshold was set over a 10-year period. Measured over fewer years (as here), the bar is proportionally lower. Share buybacks can also inflate EPS growth without reflecting underlying business improvement.
"A minimum increase of at least one-third in per-share earnings over ten years."
❌ Moderate P/E Ratio — 17.2x vs P/E ≤ 15.0x
Graham's 15x P/E threshold was calibrated to 1960s market averages when interest rates were higher. Today's lower rate environment structurally supports higher multiples — the S&P 500 long-run average P/E is now closer to 20–25x. A stock trading at 20x is not automatically speculative in the modern context.
"The price-earnings ratio should be no more than 15 times average earnings."
❌ Moderate Price-to-Book — 2.14x P/B (P/E×P/B: 36.8) vs P/B ≤ 1.5x | P/E × P/B ≤ 22.5
Graham's 1.5x P/B threshold made sense when most company value was tangible. Today, intangible assets — brand, software, patents, network effects — rarely appear on the balance sheet. A high P/B in tech, pharma, or consumer brands often reflects intangible value, not overvaluation. P/FCF or EV/EBITDA are more reliable for asset-light businesses.
"The price should not be more than 1½ times book value. P/E × P/B ≤ 22.5."
These metrics estimate what New Oriental Education & Technology Group Inc. is worth based on fundamentals — independent of what the market prices it at. Graham's Fair Value and NCAV are conservative floors. EPV assumes zero growth. These are reference points, not price targets.
Net Current Asset Value
$8.80
Trading at 6.2x NCAV. Expected for most quality businesses — NCAV was designed to find depression-era bargains and rarely applies to modern profitable companies.
"Buy at two-thirds of net current assets." — Graham
Earnings Power Value
$46.10
Per share, no-growth floor. Compare to current price.
ROIC — Return on Invested Capital
10.4%
Return on Invested Capital — Buffett's preferred measure for asset-light businesses. ROIC > 15% consistently signals a durable competitive advantage (moat). More meaningful than P/B for software, pharma, and consumer brand companies where most value is intangible and off-balance-sheet.
Cash Flow Analysis
Metric 2026 2025 2024 2023 2022
Capital Expenditure % of Net Income 52.0% 69.7% 91.5% 80.7% N/A
Repurchase of Capital Stock -$231M -$445M -$63M -$192M N/A
Free Cash Flow $780M ▲ $637M ▼ $839M ▲ $828M • N/A •
Warren's Owner Earnings $901M $777M $700M $443M N/A
Peers & Industry
No auto-detected peers for Education & Training Services. You can manually compare EDU against any stock using the Compare tool.
"The management of a business is its most important single factor — more important than market position, patents, or financial structure."
— Benjamin Graham
Capital Allocation & Alignment
Insider Ownership
2.25%
Low — management has little skin in the game
Return on Equity (ROE)
11.9%
Adequate — returns are moderate
Return on Assets (ROA)
5.4%
Strong — management uses assets efficiently
Share Buybacks (Latest Year)
$231M
Management is returning capital to shareholders via buybacks
Debt Trend YoY
+5.6% YoY
Debt is roughly stable
Leadership Team
Minhong Yu
Founder & Executive Chairman
Age 62
Chenggang Zhou
CEO & Director
Age 63
Zhihui Yang
Executive President & CFO
Age 51
Top Institutional Holders
Institution % Owned Shares
First Beijing Investment Ltd 5.63% 8,733,979
Invesco Ltd. 3.11% 4,817,200
Aspex Management (HK) Ltd 2.92% 4,523,574
Discerene Group, LP 1.99% 3,077,987
Renaissance Technologies, LLC 1.84% 2,857,164
Orbis Allan Gray Ltd 1.39% 2,162,403
Alkeon Capital Management LLC 1.11% 1,727,986
UBS Group AG 1.10% 1,702,544
Risk Analysis
Beta (Market Risk)
0.24
Low volatility — more stable than the market
Short Interest
2.8% of float
Low short interest — market is not heavily bearish
Debt-to-Equity
0.19x
Conservative balance sheet — low financial risk
Current Ratio
1.61x
Adequate liquidity
52-Week Price Range
Low: $44.25 Current: $54.99 High: $64.97
Currently at 52% of 52-week range

New Oriental Education & Technology Group Inc. (EDU) fundamental analysis — Overall grade C based on profitability, financial health, valuation and cash flow. Graham's Fair Value: $41.66. Margin of safety: 0%. Gross profit margin: 54.6%. Operating margin: 11.4%. Net margin: 8.4%. Market cap: $8.5B. Sector: Consumer Defensive. Industry: Education & Training Services. Analysis powered by 360investing — free fundamental stock analysis based on Benjamin Graham and Warren Buffett principles.

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