Strategic Education (NASDAQ:STRA) Trading Up 7.2% – Should You Buy?

Strategic Education Inc. (NASDAQ:STRA) shot up 7.2% during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $82.72 and last traded at $84.19. 7,460 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 97% from the average session volume of 282,077 shares. The stock had previously closed at $78.55.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have commented on STRA. Barrington Research lowered their price target on Strategic Education from $105.00 to $95.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 23rd. Truist Financial decreased their target price on Strategic Education from $85.00 to $80.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 27th. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on shares of Strategic Education from $86.00 to $91.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, July 6th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Strategic Education from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 24th. Finally, Zacks Research cut shares of Strategic Education from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 2nd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Strategic Education has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $88.67.

Strategic Education Price Performance

The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $78.66 and a 200-day simple moving average of $80.12. The company has a market capitalization of $1.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.89, a P/E/G ratio of 0.73 and a beta of 0.50.

Strategic Education (NASDAQ:STRA) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 29th. The health services provider reported $1.76 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.80 by ($0.04). The firm had revenue of $337.26 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $327.55 million. Strategic Education had a return on equity of 8.78% and a net margin of 10.21%.Strategic Education’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.54 EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect that Strategic Education Inc. will post 7.2 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Strategic Education news, insider Christa Hokenson sold 2,000 shares of Strategic Education stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $80.00, for a total value of $160,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 65,195 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,215,600. The trade was a 2.98% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Corporate insiders own 3.60% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Strategic Education

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. increased its stake in shares of Strategic Education by 3.1% in the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 16,195 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $1,360,000 after purchasing an additional 487 shares in the last quarter. Jane Street Group LLC increased its position in shares of Strategic Education by 40.2% in the first quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 43,433 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $3,647,000 after buying an additional 12,444 shares in the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Strategic Education by 192.7% during the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,162 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $99,000 after buying an additional 765 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP lifted its position in shares of Strategic Education by 20.0% during the 2nd quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 24,657 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $2,099,000 after buying an additional 4,118 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Jump Financial LLC acquired a new stake in Strategic Education in the 2nd quarter valued at $246,000. 93.27% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.