Guru Heebner Likes Apollo, Corinthian, DeVry, Capella

[Don Dresden]

In these tough financial times one investment guru, Ken Heebner, is putting his money on, among other things, for-profit DL education outfits.  Obviously he thinks they are going to go up in value despite the current economic situation.  He didn't get to be worth $6.9 billion by making a lot of wrong picks.
http://www.gurufocus.com/news.php?id=49288

Ken is a remarkable investor. Although sometime he got it wrong, but he still did very well during the past 20 years. This is what he bought and sold in the 4th quarter of 2008. ... Ken Heebner owns 89 stocks with a total value of $6.9 billion.

New Purchase: Apollo Group Inc. (APOL)
Ken Heebner initiated holdings in Apollo Group Inc.. His purchase prices were between $50.54 and $76.84, with an estimated average price of $68.2. The impact to his portfolio due to this purchase was 3.57%. His holdings were 3,200,000 shares as of 12/31/2008.

Apollo Group Inc. has been providing higher education to working adults for over 25 years. They operate through their subsidiaries the University of Phoenix Inc. the Institute for Professional Development the College for Financial Planning Institutes Corporation Western International University Inc. and Apollo Learning Group Inc. Apollo Group Inc. has a market cap of $13.28 billion; its shares were traded at around $81.45 with a P/E ratio of 26.67 and P/S ratio of 4.23. Apollo Group Inc. had an annual average earning growth of 29.1% over the past 10 years. GuruFocus rated Apollo Group Inc. the business predictability rank of 4-star.
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New Purchase: Corinthian Colleges Inc. (COCO)
Ken Heebner initiated holdings in Corinthian Colleges Inc.. His purchase prices were between $12.14 and $16.08, with an estimated average price of $14.4. The impact to his portfolio due to this purchase was 0.1%. His holdings were 403,000 shares as of 12/31/2008.

Corinthian Colleges Inc. is one of the largest post-secondary education companies in North America operating colleges in states in the U.S. and seven provinces in Canada. The Company's mission is to help students prepare for careers that are in demand or to advance in their chosen career. Corinthian offers diploma programs and associate's bachelor's and master's degrees in a variety of fields concentrating on careers in health care business criminal justice transportation maintenance trades and technology. Corinthian Colleges Inc. has a market cap of $1.81 billion; its shares were traded at around $21.06 with a P/E ratio of 40.79 and P/S ratio of 1.7. Corinthian Colleges Inc. had an annual average earning growth of 11% over the past 10 years.

New Purchase: DeVry Inc. (DV)
Ken Heebner initiated holdings in DeVry Inc.. His purchase prices were between $44.42 and $58.28, with an estimated average price of $53.2. The impact to his portfolio due to this purchase was 0.09%. His holdings were 105,000 shares as of 12/31/2008.

DeVry Inc. owns and operates DeVry Institutes of Technology DenverTechnical College Keller Graduate School of Management and Becker Conviser CPA Review. DeVry Institutes DeVry Canada Inc. Denver TechnicalCollege and Keller Graduate School of Management are a part of DeVryUniversity. DeVry Institutes and Keller Graduate School collectively formone of the largest private degree-granting regionally accredited highereducation systems in North America. Becker prepares candidates for theCPA CMA and CFA professional certification examinations. DeVry Inc. has a market cap of $4.13 billion; its shares were traded at around $56.12 with a P/E ratio of 29.42 and P/S ratio of 3.78. The dividend yield of DeVry Inc. stocks is 0.28%. DeVry Inc. had an annual average earning growth of 4.3% over the past 10 years.
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New Purchase: Capella Education Company (CPLA)
Ken Heebner initiated holdings in Capella Education Company. His purchase prices were between $37.18 and $59.86, with an estimated average price of $50.2. The impact to his portfolio due to this purchase was 0.04%. His holdings were 52,000 shares as of 12/31/2008.

CAPELLA EDUCATION COMPANY is a pioneer in developing high quality online degree programs for adults. Their programs are delivered through its wholly owned subsidiary They has an accredited online academic institution. Their university is known for its rigorous curricula that combine strong academic content and real world practicality presented in a flexible online format geared for adult students. Capella Education Company has a market cap of $981.9 million; its shares were traded at around $59.48 with a P/E ratio of 38.51 and P/S ratio of 4.34.