Strategic Education (NASDAQ:STRA) Stock: Insider Michael Thawley Acquires 950 Shares

Strategic Education Inc. (NASDAQ:STRA) Director Michael Thawley purchased 950 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 6th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $51.42 per share, with a total value of $48,849.00. Following the acquisition, the director owned 13,104 shares in the company, valued at $673,807.68. This trade represents a 7.82% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link.

Michael Thawley also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Tuesday, November 10th, Michael Thawley purchased 940 shares of Strategic Education stock. The shares were purchased at an average price of $52.68 per share, for a total transaction of $49,519.20.

Strategic Education Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:STRA opened at $54.30 on Thursday. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $77.15 and its 200 day simple moving average is $79.56. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 319.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.79 and a beta of 0.51. Strategic Education Inc. has a 1 year low of $50.70 and a 1 year high of $89.73.

Strategic Education (NASDAQ:STRA) last released its earnings results on Thursday, November 5th. The health services provider reported $1.72 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.95 by ($0.23). Strategic Education had a return on equity of 9.13% and a net margin of 0.74%. The business had revenue of $325.07 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $326.55 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.64 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts anticipate that Strategic Education Inc. will post 6.91 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Strategic Education Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 7th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 30th will be paid a $0.60 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 30th. This represents a $2.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.4%. Strategic Education’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 1,411.76%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

STRA has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Wall Street Zen downgraded Strategic Education from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, November 7th. BMO Capital Markets cut Strategic Education from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and decreased their target price for the company from $95.00 to $66.00 in a research report on Friday, November 6th. Truist Financial boosted their target price on Strategic Education from $80.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Strategic Education from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 28th. Finally, Barrington Research cut shares of Strategic Education from an “outperform” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, November 6th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Strategic Education presently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and an average price target of $87.00.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Strategic Education

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in STRA. Group One Trading LLC bought a new stake in Strategic Education during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $40,000. Focus Advisor Solutions LLC increased its position in Strategic Education by 59.8% in the 3rd quarter. Focus Advisor Solutions LLC now owns 4,443 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $345,000 after acquiring an additional 1,663 shares during the period. Hudson Portfolio Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Strategic Education by 35.5% during the third quarter. Hudson Portfolio Management LLC now owns 3,830 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $297,000 after acquiring an additional 1,003 shares during the last quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board raised its stake in shares of Strategic Education by 10.8% during the third quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 263,439 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $21,863,000 after acquiring an additional 25,658 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Global Retirement Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of Strategic Education by 16,250.0% during the third quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 6,540 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $508,000 after acquiring an additional 6,500 shares during the last quarter. 93.27% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Strategic Education News Summary

Investors following STRA have been watching these news items:

• Positive Sentiment: Two directors bought a combined 3,140 shares in transactions from November 6–10, for roughly $163,000. Insider buying can signal confidence, though it is not a guarantee of improved performance. Director share purchases
• Neutral Sentiment: A report cited short interest of zero shares and zero days to cover, despite describing a large increase; the figures and description conflict, making the signal unclear.
• Negative Sentiment: The company’s latest reported quarter also missed consensus: earnings were $1.72 per share versus estimates of $1.95, and revenue was slightly below forecasts. Revenue nevertheless grew 1.6% year over year.

About Strategic Education

Strategic Education, Inc. is an education services company that provides postsecondary programs and workforce-focused learning services. Its U.S. institutions include Strayer University and Capella University, which offer undergraduate and graduate programs in fields such as business, technology, health care and education through online and campus-based instruction. Outside the United States, the company operates Torrens University Australia and other education institutions serving students in Australia and New Zealand.