Strategic Education Inc. $STRA Shares Purchased by Victory Capital Management Inc.

Victory Capital Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Strategic Education Inc. (NASDAQ:STRA) by 15.0% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 119,538 shares of the health services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 15,579 shares during the quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. owned about 0.51% of Strategic Education worth $10,281,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Blue Trust Inc. purchased a new stake in Strategic Education during the third quarter worth about $25,000. Osaic Holdings Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Strategic Education by 85.2% during 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 in the last quarter. Assetmark Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Strategic Education by 54.3% in the 2nd quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 395 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 139 shares during the period. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board acquired a new stake in shares of Strategic Education in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $94,000. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in Strategic Education by 192.7% in the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,162 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $99,000 after purchasing an additional 765 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.27% of the company’s stock.

Strategic Education Stock Performance

Shares of STRA opened at $78.87 on Thursday. Strategic Education Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $72.17 and a fifty-two week high of $93.45. The company has a market capitalization of $1.79 billion, a PE ratio of 14.55, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.77 and a beta of 0.56. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $81.34 and a two-hundred day moving average of $80.91.

Strategic Education (NASDAQ:STRA) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 26th. The health services provider reported $1.74 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.47 by $0.27. Strategic Education had a return on equity of 8.75% and a net margin of 9.98%.The business had revenue of $311.46 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $322.29 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.27 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Strategic Education Inc. will post 4.79 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Strategic Education Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 9th will be paid 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 3.0%. Strategic Education’s dividend payout ratio is currently 44.28%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Raymond Karl Mcdonnell sold 38,840 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were 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 directly owned 106,332 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,012,116.20. The trade was a 26.75% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CFO Daniel Wayne Jackson sold 13,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $82.37, for a total transaction of $1,070,810.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 100,096 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,244,907.52. This represents a 11.49% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Corporate insiders own 3.30% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have commented on STRA shares. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Strategic Education in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Barrington Research reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $105.00 price objective on shares of Strategic Education in a research report on Monday, January 26th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Strategic Education from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, February 28th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded shares of Strategic Education from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, March 2nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have assigned a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Strategic Education has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $99.33.

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.