Strategic Education (NASDAQ:STRA) Upgraded at Wall Street Zen
by Scott Moore · The Cerbat GemWall Street Zen upgraded shares of Strategic Education (NASDAQ:STRA – Free Report) from a buy rating to a strong-buy rating in a research note issued to investors on Saturday morning.
Other equities analysts also recently issued reports about the stock. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Strategic Education from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Strategic Education in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Truist Financial downgraded shares of Strategic Education from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and dropped their target price for the stock from $95.00 to $85.00 in a research note on Tuesday, March 24th. Finally, Barrington Research reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $105.00 price objective on shares of Strategic Education in a research note on Monday, January 26th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have given a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $92.67.
Check Out Our Latest Research Report on STRA
Strategic Education Price Performance
Shares of STRA stock opened at $83.20 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $1.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.35, a P/E/G ratio of 0.80 and a beta of 0.53. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $80.53 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $80.69. Strategic Education has a one year low of $72.17 and a one year high of $93.45.
Strategic Education (NASDAQ:STRA – Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 26th. The health services provider reported $1.74 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 net margin of 9.98% and a return on equity of 8.75%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.27 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Strategic Education will post 6.97 EPS for the current fiscal year.
Strategic Education Dividend Announcement
The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 9th were paid a dividend of $0.60 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 9th. This represents a $2.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.9%. Strategic Education’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 44.28%.
Insider Buying and Selling at Strategic Education
In other news, General Counsel Lizette Benedi Herraiz sold 7,598 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $79.97, for a total transaction of $607,612.06. Following the transaction, the general counsel directly owned 58,562 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,683,203.14. This trade represents a 11.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CFO Daniel Wayne Jackson sold 13,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $82.37, for a total transaction of $1,070,810.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 100,096 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,244,907.52. The trade was a 11.49% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 62,420 shares of company stock valued at $4,843,218 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 3.60% of the company’s stock.
Institutional Investors Weigh In On Strategic Education
Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Blue Trust Inc. purchased a new stake in Strategic Education during the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Allworth Financial LP lifted its position in Strategic Education by 88.5% during the third quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 294 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 138 shares during the last quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. lifted its position in Strategic Education by 154.2% during 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 last quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. lifted its position in Strategic Education by 85.2% during 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 last quarter. Finally, Sankala Group LLC purchased a new stake in Strategic Education during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.27% of the company’s stock.
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.