Renaissance Technologies LLC Sells 9,220 Shares of Strategic Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:STRA)

Renaissance Technologies LLC lowered its position in shares of Strategic Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:STRA) by 4.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 215,818 shares of the health services provider’s stock after selling 9,220 shares during the period. Renaissance Technologies LLC owned about 0.88% of Strategic Education worth $20,162,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of STRA. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its stake in shares of Strategic Education by 76.7% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 399,144 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $36,941,000 after purchasing an additional 173,225 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Strategic Education during the 4th quarter worth approximately $15,715,000. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership grew its holdings in Strategic Education by 207.3% during the 4th quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 175,141 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $16,362,000 after acquiring an additional 118,151 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp increased its position in Strategic Education by 6.1% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 890,133 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $82,382,000 after acquiring an additional 50,980 shares during the period. Finally, Lightrock Netherlands B.V. bought a new position in shares of Strategic Education during the fourth quarter valued at $4,625,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.27% of the company’s stock.

Strategic Education Stock Down 1.1 %

Shares of NASDAQ STRA opened at $77.79 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $1.92 billion, a PE ratio of 14.82, a P/E/G ratio of 1.22 and a beta of 0.58. Strategic Education, Inc. has a twelve month low of $76.20 and a twelve month high of $123.62. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $87.65 and a 200 day simple moving average of $91.81.

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

Strategic Education Dividend Announcement

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 dividend yield of 3.09%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 10th. Strategic Education’s payout ratio is 51.39%.

Insider Transactions at Strategic Education

In related news, Director Michael A. Mcrobbie bought 600 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 10th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $81.80 per share, with a total value of $49,080.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 6,135 shares in the company, valued at $501,843. The trade was a 10.84 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Daniel Wayne Jackson sold 6,025 shares of Strategic Education stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $97.83, for a total transaction of $589,425.75. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 81,756 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,998,189.48. This trade represents a 6.86 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 39,332 shares of company stock valued at $3,825,169 in the last quarter. 3.30% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on STRA shares. BMO Capital Markets cut their price target on shares of Strategic Education from $114.00 to $97.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, March 3rd. Barrington Research reduced their price target on Strategic Education from $135.00 to $120.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded Strategic Education from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 6th.

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.