Strategic Education Inc. (NASDAQ:STRA) Given Average Rating of “Hold” by Brokerages

Strategic Education Inc. (NASDAQ:STRA) has been given an average recommendation of “Hold” by the five brokerages that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and two have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month price objective among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $95.3333.

A number of research analysts recently commented on STRA shares. Wall Street Zen raised Strategic Education from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday. Zacks Research downgraded Strategic Education from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 2nd. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Strategic Education in a research report on Friday, July 17th. Barrington Research set a $105.00 target price on Strategic Education in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Truist Financial raised their price target on shares of Strategic Education from $80.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Strategic Education news, insider Christa Hokenson sold 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $80.00, for a total transaction of $160,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 65,195 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,215,600. This trade represents a 2.98% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 3.60% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Strategic Education

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Bastion Asset Management Inc. raised its stake in Strategic Education by 409.3% during the fourth quarter. Bastion Asset Management Inc. now owns 71,209 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $5,644,000 after buying an additional 57,228 shares in the last quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas grew its position in shares of Strategic Education by 302.6% in the 4th quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas now owns 63,667 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $5,106,000 after acquiring an additional 47,853 shares in the last quarter. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd increased its holdings in shares of Strategic Education by 568.8% in the 1st quarter. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd now owns 36,765 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $3,050,000 after acquiring an additional 31,268 shares during the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC raised its position in shares of Strategic Education by 438.8% during the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 61,531 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $4,935,000 after acquiring an additional 50,110 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ellsworth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Strategic Education during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $6,057,000. Institutional investors own 93.27% of the company’s stock.

Strategic Education Price Performance

Strategic Education stock opened at $82.00 on Monday. Strategic Education has a 12-month low of $69.70 and a 12-month high of $89.73. The company has a market capitalization of $1.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.67, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.76 and a beta of 0.50. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $79.01 and its 200 day moving average price is $80.15.

Strategic Education (NASDAQ:STRA) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 29th. The health services provider reported $1.76 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.80 by ($0.04). Strategic Education had a net margin of 10.46% and a return on equity of 8.98%. The firm had revenue of $321.60 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $327.55 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.54 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 4.9% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts forecast that Strategic Education will post 7.21 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Strategic Education Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 14th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 4th will be paid 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 is Friday, September 4th. Strategic Education’s dividend payout ratio is 40.00%.

Strategic Education Company Profile

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.