Strategic Education Inc. $STRA Shares Purchased by Lightrock Netherlands B.V.

Lightrock Netherlands B.V. boosted its position in shares of Strategic Education Inc. (NASDAQ:STRA) by 155.7% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 234,719 shares of the health services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 142,915 shares during the period. Strategic Education accounts for 4.5% of Lightrock Netherlands B.V.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 4th biggest holding. Lightrock Netherlands B.V. owned 0.98% of Strategic Education worth $20,188,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the business. Blue Trust Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Strategic Education during the third quarter valued at $25,000. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its position in Strategic Education by 148.9% during the 2nd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 331 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 198 shares during the period. Osaic Holdings Inc. grew its stake in Strategic Education by 85.2% during the 2nd 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 in the last quarter. Assetmark Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Strategic Education by 54.3% in the 2nd quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 395 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 139 shares during the period. Finally, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board purchased a new stake in shares of Strategic Education in the second quarter worth approximately $94,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.27% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently commented on STRA shares. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Strategic Education in a research report on Thursday. Barrington Research reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $105.00 target price on shares of Strategic Education in a research note on Thursday, December 18th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Strategic Education currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $99.33.

Strategic Education Stock Performance

NASDAQ:STRA opened at $85.62 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $2.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.80, a P/E/G ratio of 0.88 and a beta of 0.57. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $80.85 and its 200 day moving average price is $80.47. Strategic Education Inc. has a 52 week low of $72.25 and a 52 week high of $104.51.

Strategic Education (NASDAQ:STRA) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, November 6th. The health services provider reported $1.63 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.30 by $0.33. Strategic Education had a net margin of 9.08% and a return on equity of 8.18%. The company had revenue of $319.95 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $315.40 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.16 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Strategic Education Inc. will post 4.79 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Strategic Education Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 8th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 1st were issued a dividend of $0.60 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 1st. This represents a $2.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.8%. Strategic Education’s dividend payout ratio is currently 49.90%.

Strategic Education 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.