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

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

Several other equities analysts have also issued reports on STRA. Barrington Research set a $105.00 target price on Strategic Education in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Truist Financial lifted their price target on Strategic Education from $80.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Zacks Research cut Strategic Education from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 2nd. BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on Strategic Education from $86.00 to $91.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, July 6th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Strategic Education in a research report on Friday, July 17th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $95.33.

Strategic Education Price Performance

STRA opened at $83.70 on Friday. Strategic Education has a fifty-two week low of $69.70 and a fifty-two week high of $89.73. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.95, a PEG ratio of 0.76 and a beta of 0.49. The company’s 50-day moving average is $79.11 and its 200 day moving average is $80.15.

Strategic Education (NASDAQ:STRA) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 29th. The health services provider reported $1.76 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.80 by ($0.04). The firm had revenue of $321.60 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $327.55 million. Strategic Education had a return on equity of 8.98% and a net margin of 10.46%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.54 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts expect that Strategic Education will post 7.21 earnings per share for the current year.

Strategic Education Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 14th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 4th will be given a dividend of $0.60 per share. This represents a $2.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 4th. Strategic Education’s dividend payout ratio is currently 40.00%.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Christa Hokenson sold 2,000 shares of Strategic Education stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $80.00, for a total value of $160,000.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 65,195 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,215,600. The trade was a 2.98% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 3.60% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Strategic Education

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Axiom Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Strategic Education in the first quarter valued at $25,000. Allworth Financial LP grew its stake in shares of Strategic Education by 88.5% during the 3rd quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 294 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 138 shares during the period. Hantz Financial Services Inc. grew its stake in shares of Strategic Education by 154.2% during the 4th quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 333 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 202 shares during the period. Osaic Holdings Inc. increased its holdings in Strategic Education by 85.2% in the 2nd quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. now owns 387 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 178 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sankala Group LLC purchased a new stake in Strategic Education in the 4th quarter worth about $37,000. 93.27% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.