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

Barrington Research reaffirmed their outperform rating on shares of Strategic Education (NASDAQ:STRA) in a research note published on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. They currently have a $120.00 price target on the health services provider’s stock.

A number of other brokerages have also recently commented on STRA. StockNews.com cut shares of Strategic Education from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 6th. BMO Capital Markets decreased their price objective on Strategic Education from $114.00 to $97.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, March 3rd.

Strategic Education Stock Up 1.7 %

NASDAQ STRA opened at $78.56 on Tuesday. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $86.75 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $91.61. Strategic Education has a twelve month low of $74.28 and a twelve month high of $123.62. The company has a market capitalization of $1.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.96, a PEG ratio of 1.22 and a beta of 0.58.

Strategic Education (NASDAQ:STRA) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 27th. The health services provider reported $1.27 earnings per share 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 firm had revenue of $311.46 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $315.18 million. On average, equities analysts expect that Strategic Education will post 4.79 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Strategic Education Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 10th were given a dividend of $0.60 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 10th. This represents a $2.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.05%. Strategic Education’s payout ratio is currently 51.39%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Strategic Education

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Strategic Education

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Strategic Education by 6.8% during the 4th quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 3,009 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $281,000 after acquiring an additional 191 shares during the period. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC lifted its position in Strategic Education by 2.6% during the fourth quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 8,113 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $758,000 after buying an additional 205 shares during the period. HighTower Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Strategic Education by 9.8% during the 3rd quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 2,448 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $228,000 after buying an additional 218 shares in the last quarter. Bank of Montreal Can grew its position in shares of Strategic Education by 7.5% in the 4th quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 3,542 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $331,000 after buying an additional 246 shares during the period. Finally, Swiss National Bank increased its stake in shares of Strategic Education by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 46,038 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $4,301,000 after acquiring an additional 300 shares in the last quarter. 93.27% of the stock is owned by 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.