Strategic Education Inc. (NASDAQ:STRA) Receives Consensus Rating of “Hold” from Brokerages

Strategic Education Inc. (NASDAQ:STRA) has been assigned an average recommendation of “Hold” from the five research firms that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a 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 $87.00.

STRA has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Strategic Education in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Strategic Education from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, June 8th. Zacks Research lowered shares of Strategic Education from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 2nd. Truist Financial dropped their target price on shares of Strategic Education from $85.00 to $80.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 27th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets dropped their target price on shares of Strategic Education from $95.00 to $86.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 27th.

Insider Transactions at Strategic Education

In other news, General Counsel Lizette Benedi Herraiz sold 2,982 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $79.88, for a total transaction of $238,202.16. Following the completion of the sale, the general counsel directly owned 55,580 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,439,730.40. This represents a 5.09% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Michael Thawley bought 665 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, April 24th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $72.71 per share, with a total value of $48,352.15. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director owned 12,154 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $883,717.34. This trade represents a 5.79% increase in their position. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. 3.60% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Strategic Education

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Axiom Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in Strategic Education in the first quarter worth about $25,000. Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC purchased a new stake in Strategic Education in the first quarter worth about $1,232,000. Wellington Grp LLC lifted its holdings in Strategic Education by 9.1% in the first quarter. Wellington Grp LLC now owns 6,657 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $552,000 after buying an additional 554 shares during the period. Bank of America Corp DE lifted its holdings in Strategic Education by 81.0% in the first quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 82,238 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $6,822,000 after buying an additional 36,792 shares during the period. Finally, Edgestream Partners L.P. purchased a new stake in Strategic Education in the first quarter worth about $1,451,000. 93.27% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Strategic Education Trading Down 3.1%

Shares of NASDAQ:STRA opened at $77.41 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $79.77 and its 200-day moving average price is $80.50. Strategic Education has a 12-month low of $69.70 and a 12-month high of $88.50. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.75 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.68, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.72 and a beta of 0.51.

Strategic Education (NASDAQ:STRA) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 23rd. The health services provider reported $1.42 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.51 by ($0.09). Strategic Education had a net margin of 10.21% and a return on equity of 8.78%. The company had revenue of $305.93 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $329.81 million. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.30 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up .8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts predict that Strategic Education will post 7.2 EPS for the current year.

Strategic Education Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 22nd were issued a dividend of $0.60 per share. This represents a $2.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.1%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 22nd. Strategic Education’s dividend payout ratio is currently 42.40%.

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.