Strategic Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:STRA) Shares Sold by Vestcor Inc

Vestcor Inc decreased its holdings in shares of Strategic Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:STRA) by 69.1% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 903 shares of the health services provider’s stock after selling 2,019 shares during the quarter. Vestcor Inc’s holdings in Strategic Education were worth $84,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new position in shares of Strategic Education during the third quarter worth $37,000. R Squared Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Strategic Education during the fourth quarter worth $42,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Strategic Education by 394.8% during the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 480 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $44,000 after buying an additional 383 shares during the period. Pacer Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Strategic Education during the fourth quarter worth $96,000. Finally, KBC Group NV boosted its position in shares of Strategic Education by 53.3% during the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 1,044 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $98,000 after buying an additional 363 shares during the period. 93.27% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Strategic Education Trading Up 0.3 %

NASDAQ:STRA opened at $79.97 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $1.97 billion, a PE ratio of 15.23, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.22 and a beta of 0.59. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $93.48 and a 200 day moving average price of $93.44. Strategic Education, Inc. has a 12-month low of $78.43 and a 12-month high of $123.62.

Strategic Education (NASDAQ:STRA) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 27th. The health services provider reported $1.27 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.37 by ($0.10). The company had revenue of $311.46 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $315.18 million. Strategic Education had a net margin of 10.44% and a return on equity of 7.61%. Equities analysts forecast that Strategic Education, Inc. will post 4.79 EPS for the current year.

Strategic Education Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 10th were issued a dividend of $0.60 per share. This represents a $2.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.00%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 10th. Strategic Education’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 51.39%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, General Counsel Lizette Benedi Herraiz sold 1,452 shares of Strategic Education stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $82.21, for a total transaction of $119,368.92. Following the sale, the general counsel now owns 61,716 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,073,672.36. The trade was a 2.30 % 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 6,025 shares of Strategic Education stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $97.83, for a total value of $589,425.75. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 81,756 shares in the company, valued at $7,998,189.48. This trade represents a 6.86 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 39,332 shares of company stock valued at $3,825,169 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 3.10% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently commented on the company. StockNews.com lowered Strategic Education from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 6th. Barrington Research decreased their target price on Strategic Education from $135.00 to $120.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, February 27th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets decreased their target price on Strategic Education from $114.00 to $97.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Monday, March 3rd.

Strategic Education Company Profile

Strategic Education, Inc, through its subsidiaries, provides education services through campus-based and online post-secondary education, and programs to develop job-ready skills. The company operates through U.S. Higher Education, Australia/New Zealand, and Education Technology Services segments. It operates Strayer University that offers undergraduate and graduate degree programs in business, criminal justice, education, health services, information technology, and public administration at physical campuses located in the eastern United States, as well as through online; non-degree web and mobile application development courses through Hackbright Academy and Devmountain; and MBA online through its Jack Welch Management Institute.