Wedge Capital Management L L P NC Purchases 4,290 Shares of Strategic Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:STRA)

Wedge Capital Management L L P NC boosted its position in Strategic Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:STRA) by 32.8% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 17,376 shares of the health services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 4,290 shares during the period. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC owned approximately 0.07% of Strategic Education worth $1,459,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Strategic Education by 394.8% in the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 480 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $44,000 after purchasing an additional 383 shares during the period. Sterling Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Strategic Education by 809.1% in the fourth quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 700 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $65,000 after purchasing an additional 623 shares during the period. Covestor Ltd boosted its holdings in shares of Strategic Education by 44.0% in the fourth quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 1,431 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $134,000 after purchasing an additional 437 shares during the period. CIBC Asset Management Inc purchased a new stake in shares of Strategic Education in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $222,000. Finally, HighTower Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Strategic Education by 13.4% in the fourth quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 2,777 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $259,000 after purchasing an additional 329 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 93.27% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Strategic Education

In other news, Director Robert R. Grusky sold 1,494 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, April 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $80.27, for a total transaction of $119,923.38. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 11,349 shares in the company, valued at $910,984.23. The trade was a 11.63% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 3.30% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Strategic Education Stock Down 2.9%

NASDAQ:STRA opened at $82.97 on Wednesday. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $84.70 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $90.30. The company has a market cap of $2.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.80, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.22 and a beta of 0.54. Strategic Education, Inc. has a 52 week low of $74.28 and a 52 week high of $121.60.

Strategic Education (NASDAQ:STRA) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 24th. The health services provider reported $1.30 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.01 by $0.29. The business had revenue of $303.59 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $300.67 million. Strategic Education had a net margin of 10.44% and a return on equity of 7.61%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.11 EPS. On average, analysts expect that Strategic Education, Inc. will post 4.79 EPS for the current year.

Strategic Education Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 2nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 23rd were paid a $0.60 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 23rd. This represents a $2.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.89%. Strategic Education’s dividend payout ratio is presently 51.28%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have weighed in on STRA shares. Truist Financial set a $105.00 target price on Strategic Education in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Barrington Research reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $120.00 price target on shares of Strategic Education in a research report on Tuesday, April 15th. Wall Street Zen raised Strategic Education from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on shares of Strategic Education from $97.00 to $98.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, April 28th.

Strategic Education Company Profile

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.