Strategic Education (NASDAQ:STRA) Reaches New 52-Week Low – What’s Next?

Strategic Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:STRA) shares hit a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Monday . The stock traded as low as $74.28 and last traded at $74.55, with a volume of 87827 shares. The stock had previously closed at $77.79.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

Strategic Education Price Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of $1.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.70, a P/E/G ratio of 1.22 and a beta of 0.58. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $87.65 and its 200 day simple moving average is $91.81.

Strategic Education (NASDAQ:STRA) last announced its earnings results 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 net margin of 10.44% and a return on equity of 7.61%. The firm had revenue of $311.46 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $315.18 million. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Strategic Education, Inc. will post 4.79 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Strategic Education Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 10th were issued a $0.60 dividend. This represents a $2.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.11%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 10th. Strategic Education’s payout ratio is presently 51.39%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Strategic Education news, CFO Daniel Wayne Jackson sold 6,025 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $97.83, for a total value of $589,425.75. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 81,756 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,998,189.48. This represents a 6.86 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, 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, for a total transaction of $49,080.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now owns 6,135 shares in the company, valued at $501,843. This trade represents a 10.84 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 39,332 shares of company stock valued at $3,825,169. 3.30% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Strategic Education

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in Strategic Education by 1.7% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 2,793,685 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $260,986,000 after purchasing an additional 45,421 shares during the period. Marshfield Associates lifted its stake in Strategic Education by 0.4% during the fourth quarter. Marshfield Associates now owns 1,836,491 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $171,565,000 after purchasing an additional 6,869 shares during the last quarter. Burgundy Asset Management Ltd. lifted its position in shares of Strategic Education by 1.7% in the 4th quarter. Burgundy Asset Management Ltd. now owns 1,258,680 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $117,586,000 after buying an additional 20,456 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp boosted its stake in Strategic Education by 6.1% in the third 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, Van Lanschot Kempen Investment Management N.V. grew its stake in Strategic Education by 12.9% during the 4th quarter. Van Lanschot Kempen Investment Management N.V. now owns 618,286 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $57,760,000 after buying an additional 70,743 shares during the last quarter. 93.27% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.