Strategic Education (NASDAQ:STRA) Cut to “Hold” at Truist Financial

Strategic Education (NASDAQ:STRA) was downgraded by Truist Financial from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report issued on Tuesday,Finviz reports. They presently have a $85.00 price target on the health services provider’s stock. Truist Financial’s price objective would suggest a potential upside of 1.36% from the stock’s current price.

Several other research analysts also recently issued reports on STRA. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Strategic Education from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Saturday, February 28th. Barrington Research reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $105.00 target price on shares of Strategic Education in a research report on Monday, January 26th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Strategic Education in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, Zacks Research raised Strategic Education from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, March 2nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have issued a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $92.67.

Strategic Education Trading Up 3.9%

Shares of Strategic Education stock opened at $83.86 on Tuesday. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $81.03 and its 200-day simple moving average is $80.84. The company has a market cap of $1.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.47, a PEG ratio of 0.77 and a beta of 0.56. Strategic Education has a 1 year low of $72.17 and a 1 year high of $93.45.

Strategic Education (NASDAQ:STRA) last released its earnings results 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. Strategic Education had a net margin of 9.98% and a return on equity of 8.75%. The firm had revenue of $311.46 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $322.29 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.27 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 3.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts forecast that Strategic Education will post 4.79 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Strategic Education

In other news, General Counsel Lizette Benedi Herraiz sold 7,598 shares of Strategic Education stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $79.97, for a total transaction of $607,612.06. Following the sale, the general counsel directly owned 58,562 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,683,203.14. The trade was a 11.48% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Raymond Karl Mcdonnell sold 38,840 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $75.35, for a total transaction of $2,926,594.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 106,332 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,012,116.20. The trade was a 26.75% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 62,420 shares of company stock valued at $4,843,218 over the last quarter. 3.30% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Strategic Education

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Blue Trust Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Strategic Education in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Allworth Financial LP boosted its stake in Strategic Education by 88.5% in the 3rd quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 294 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 138 shares in the last quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. grew its position 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 valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 202 shares during the period. Osaic Holdings Inc. grew its position in Strategic Education by 85.2% in the second quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. now owns 387 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 178 shares during the period. Finally, Sankala Group LLC acquired a new position in Strategic Education during the fourth quarter worth $37,000. 93.27% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.