Strategic Education (NASDAQ:STRA) Upgraded at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Strategic Education (NASDAQ:STRA) from a buy rating to a strong-buy rating in a report issued on Saturday morning.

Several other equities research analysts have also commented on STRA. Barrington Research restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $105.00 price target on shares of Strategic Education in a report on Monday, January 26th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Strategic Education in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Strategic Education presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $99.33.

Strategic Education Stock Up 2.6%

STRA opened at $84.44 on Friday. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $81.15 and its two-hundred day moving average is $80.81. The company has a market capitalization of $1.98 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.58, a PEG ratio of 0.85 and a beta of 0.56. Strategic Education has a 52 week low of $72.17 and a 52 week high of $93.45.

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

Strategic Education Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 9th will be given a dividend of $0.60 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 9th. This represents a $2.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.8%. Strategic Education’s dividend payout ratio is presently 44.28%.

Insider Activity at Strategic Education

In other news, CEO Raymond Karl Mcdonnell sold 38,840 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $75.35, for a total value of $2,926,594.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 106,332 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,012,116.20. This trade represents a 26.75% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 3.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Strategic Education

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Sankala Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Strategic Education during the fourth quarter valued at about $37,000. Pacer Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in Strategic Education during the 4th quarter worth approximately $5,059,000. Vident Advisory LLC grew its position in Strategic Education by 10.9% during the 4th quarter. Vident Advisory LLC now owns 28,385 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $2,276,000 after purchasing an additional 2,785 shares during the last quarter. State of Tennessee Department of Treasury increased its stake in Strategic Education by 72.7% during the 4th quarter. State of Tennessee Department of Treasury now owns 9,281 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $789,000 after purchasing an additional 3,907 shares in the last quarter. Finally, NewEdge Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Strategic Education in the fourth quarter worth $226,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.27% of the company’s stock.

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.