Strategic Education (NASDAQ:STRA) Given “Outperform” Rating at Barrington Research

Strategic Education (NASDAQ:STRA)‘s stock had its “outperform” rating reiterated by equities research analysts at Barrington Research in a research note issued on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. They currently have a $120.00 price target on the health services provider’s stock. Barrington Research’s price target suggests a potential upside of 55.00% from the company’s current price.

STRA has been the subject of several other research reports. StockNews.com lowered shares of Strategic Education from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 6th. BMO Capital Markets dropped their target price on shares of Strategic Education from $114.00 to $97.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, March 3rd.

Strategic Education Stock Performance

Shares of Strategic Education stock traded up $0.16 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $77.42. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 25,039 shares, compared to its average volume of 149,921. The company has a market capitalization of $1.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.82, a P/E/G ratio of 1.22 and a beta of 0.58. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $87.19 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $91.71. Strategic Education has a one year low of $74.28 and a one year high of $123.62.

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Strategic Education

In related news, General Counsel Lizette Benedi Herraiz sold 1,452 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $82.21, for a total value of $119,368.92. Following the sale, the general counsel now directly owns 61,716 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,073,672.36. The trade was a 2.30 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Raymond Karl Mcdonnell sold 31,855 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $97.83, for a total transaction of $3,116,374.65. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 140,281 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,723,690.23. This trade represents a 18.51 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 39,332 shares of company stock worth $3,825,169 over the last three months. 3.30% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new stake in Strategic Education in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $37,000. R Squared Ltd purchased a new stake in Strategic Education during the fourth quarter valued at about $42,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Strategic Education by 394.8% in 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. Sterling Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Strategic Education by 809.1% during the 4th quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 700 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $65,000 after acquiring an additional 623 shares during the period. Finally, Pacer Advisors Inc. bought a new position in Strategic Education during the 4th quarter worth approximately $96,000. 93.27% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Strategic Education

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.