Barrington Research Reaffirms “Outperform” Rating for Strategic Education (NASDAQ:STRA)

Strategic Education (NASDAQ:STRA)‘s stock had its “outperform” rating reaffirmed by stock analysts at Barrington Research in a note issued to investors on Friday,Benzinga reports. They currently have a $105.00 price target on the health services provider’s stock. Barrington Research’s price objective would suggest a potential upside of 38.12% from the stock’s current price.

STRA has been the subject of a number of other reports. BMO Capital Markets reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Strategic Education in a research note on Monday, September 8th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Strategic Education in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of Strategic Education from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, September 13th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $99.33.

Strategic Education Trading Up 0.9%

NASDAQ STRA opened at $76.02 on Friday. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $81.54 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $82.57. Strategic Education has a 12-month low of $72.25 and a 12-month high of $104.51. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.82 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.80, a P/E/G ratio of 0.92 and a beta of 0.63.

Strategic Education (NASDAQ:STRA) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 6th. The health services provider reported $1.63 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.30 by $0.33. The firm had revenue of $319.95 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $315.40 million. Strategic Education had a return on equity of 7.52% and a net margin of 9.27%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.16 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Strategic Education will post 4.79 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director G Thomas Waite III sold 700 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $81.69, for a total value of $57,183.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 15,926 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,300,994.94. This represents a 4.21% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CFO Daniel Wayne Jackson acquired 1,900 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 29th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $81.50 per share, for a total transaction of $154,850.00. Following the purchase, the chief financial officer directly owned 104,136 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,487,084. This trade represents a 1.86% increase in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. 3.30% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Strategic Education

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Blue Trust Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Strategic Education during the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its holdings in Strategic Education by 148.9% during the second quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 331 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 198 shares during the period. Osaic Holdings Inc. grew its holdings in Strategic Education by 85.2% during the second quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. now owns 387 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 178 shares during the period. Assetmark Inc. raised its position in Strategic Education by 54.3% during the second quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 395 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 139 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Kestra Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in Strategic Education during the first quarter valued at approximately $82,000. 93.27% of the stock is 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.