Strategic Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:STRA) Given Average Rating of “Buy” by Analysts

Strategic Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:STRA) has earned an average recommendation of “Buy” from the four research firms that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating. The average 1 year price target among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $126.00.

STRA has been the subject of several research analyst reports. BMO Capital Markets lowered their price target on shares of Strategic Education from $130.00 to $125.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, August 1st. Truist Financial lowered their target price on Strategic Education from $145.00 to $120.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Barrington Research reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $135.00 price target on shares of Strategic Education in a research note on Thursday, November 7th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded Strategic Education from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, October 5th.

Strategic Education Stock Performance

Strategic Education stock opened at $96.64 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $90.90 and a 200-day moving average of $102.76. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.37 and a beta of 0.57. Strategic Education has a 52 week low of $85.11 and a 52 week high of $123.62.

Strategic Education (NASDAQ:STRA) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The health services provider reported $1.16 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.81 by $0.35. The firm had revenue of $305.96 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $301.62 million. Strategic Education had a net margin of 10.44% and a return on equity of 7.61%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.97 earnings per share. On average, research analysts forecast that Strategic Education will post 4.76 earnings per share for the current year.

Strategic Education Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 9th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 2nd will be issued a dividend of $0.60 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 2nd. This represents a $2.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.48%. Strategic Education’s payout ratio is 45.71%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Strategic Education

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System boosted its position in Strategic Education by 83.0% during the first quarter. State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System now owns 11,817 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $1,230,000 after acquiring an additional 5,358 shares during the last quarter. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC bought a new stake in Strategic Education in the second quarter valued at $1,357,000. Quadrature Capital Ltd bought a new position in shares of Strategic Education in the 1st quarter worth $738,000. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. grew its position in Strategic Education by 7.4% in the 2nd quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 369,728 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $40,914,000 after purchasing an additional 25,455 shares during the period. Finally, Beck Bode LLC bought a new stake in Strategic Education during the 2nd quarter valued at $1,028,000. 93.27% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.