Barrington Research Cuts Strategic Education (NASDAQ:STRA) Price Target to $120.00

Strategic Education (NASDAQ:STRA) had its price objective dropped by research analysts at Barrington Research from $135.00 to $120.00 in a note issued to investors on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an “outperform” rating on the health services provider’s stock. Barrington Research’s target price would suggest a potential upside of 50.38% from the company’s previous close.

Separately, StockNews.com raised shares of Strategic Education from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $122.25.

Strategic Education Price Performance

Shares of STRA traded down $18.14 on Thursday, reaching $79.80. 319,728 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 100,767. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $96.88 and its 200-day moving average price is $94.93. The firm has a market cap of $1.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.20, a P/E/G ratio of 1.22 and a beta of 0.59. Strategic Education has a 12 month low of $79.37 and a 12 month high of $123.62.

Strategic Education (NASDAQ:STRA) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 27th. The health services provider reported $1.27 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.37 by ($0.10). Strategic Education had a return on equity of 7.61% and a net margin of 10.44%. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Strategic Education will post 4.79 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Strategic Education

In related news, CEO Raymond Karl Mcdonnell sold 31,855 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $97.83, for a total transaction of $3,116,374.65. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 140,281 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $13,723,690.23. This trade represents a 18.51 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CFO Daniel Wayne Jackson sold 6,025 shares of Strategic Education stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $97.83, for a total value of $589,425.75. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 81,756 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,998,189.48. The trade was a 6.86 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 3.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Strategic Education

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Burgundy Asset Management Ltd. raised its stake in shares of Strategic Education by 1.7% in the fourth quarter. Burgundy Asset Management Ltd. now owns 1,258,680 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $117,586,000 after acquiring an additional 20,456 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased its holdings in shares of Strategic Education by 19.6% in the fourth quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 48,459 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $4,527,000 after purchasing an additional 7,926 shares in the last quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP raised its position in Strategic Education by 90.3% in the 4th quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP now owns 4,425 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $413,000 after purchasing an additional 2,100 shares during the last quarter. Systematic Financial Management LP raised its position in Strategic Education by 31.3% in the 4th quarter. Systematic Financial Management LP now owns 30,820 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $2,879,000 after purchasing an additional 7,340 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lifted its holdings in Strategic Education by 6.2% during the 4th quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 589,053 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $55,029,000 after buying an additional 34,608 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.27% of the company’s stock.

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.