Strategic Education Inc. (NASDAQ:STRA) Receives Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

Shares of Strategic Education Inc. (NASDAQ:STRA) have earned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the five brokerages that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, two have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 12-month target price among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $92.6667.

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Wall Street Zen upgraded Strategic Education from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, February 28th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Strategic Education in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Zacks Research upgraded Strategic Education from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, March 2nd. Truist Financial cut Strategic Education from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $85.00 price target for the company. in a report on Tuesday. Finally, Barrington Research reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $105.00 price objective on shares of Strategic Education in a research note on Monday, January 26th.

Insider Activity

In other Strategic Education news, General Counsel Lizette Benedi Herraiz sold 2,982 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $79.88, for a total value of $238,202.16. Following the transaction, the general counsel owned 55,580 shares in the company, valued at $4,439,730.40. The trade was a 5.09% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Chairman Robert S. Silberman acquired 718 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, March 13th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $80.82 per share, with a total value of $58,028.76. Following the completion of the transaction, the chairman owned 319,870 shares in the company, valued at $25,851,893.40. The trade was a 0.22% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 62,420 shares of company stock worth $4,843,218. Corporate insiders own 3.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Blue Trust Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Strategic Education in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Allworth Financial LP lifted its stake in Strategic Education by 88.5% during the third quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 294 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 138 shares during the last quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. boosted its holdings in Strategic Education by 154.2% in the fourth quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 333 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 202 shares during the period. Osaic Holdings Inc. boosted its holdings in Strategic Education by 85.2% in the second quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. now owns 387 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 178 shares during the period. Finally, Sankala Group LLC bought a new stake in Strategic Education during the fourth quarter valued at $37,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.27% of the company’s stock.

Strategic Education Stock Performance

Strategic Education stock traded down $2.41 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $81.45. 24,028 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 271,030. The company’s 50-day moving average is $81.03 and its two-hundred day moving average is $80.84. Strategic Education has a 52-week low of $72.17 and a 52-week high of $93.45. The firm has a market cap of $1.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.01, a PEG ratio of 0.77 and a beta of 0.56.

Strategic Education (NASDAQ:STRA) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 26th. The health services provider reported $1.74 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.47 by $0.27. The company had revenue of $311.46 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $322.29 million. Strategic Education had a return on equity of 8.75% and a net margin of 9.98%.The firm’s revenue was up 3.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.27 earnings per share. Analysts anticipate that Strategic Education will post 4.79 EPS for the current year.

Strategic Education Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 16th. Investors of record on Monday, March 9th were issued a dividend of $0.60 per share. This represents a $2.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 9th. Strategic Education’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 44.28%.

About Strategic Education

Strategic Education, Inc is a publicly traded higher education services holding company headquartered in Herndon, Virginia. Through its primary operating subsidiaries, Strayer University and Capella University, the company delivers degree programs and professional development opportunities to working adults. Its offerings span undergraduate and graduate degrees, certificates, continuing education, and workforce training in fields such as business, technology, health services, education, and public administration.

Strayer University, with a network of physical campuses across the United States complemented by an online platform, provides associate’s through doctoral degrees designed to accommodate non-traditional students.