Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp Makes New Investment in Strategic Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:STRA)

Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp acquired a new stake in Strategic Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:STRA) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund acquired 8,900 shares of the health services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $831,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new position in Strategic Education in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $37,000. R Squared Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Strategic Education during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $42,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Strategic Education by 394.8% in the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 480 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $44,000 after buying an additional 383 shares in the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Strategic Education in the fourth quarter worth $96,000. Finally, KBC Group NV boosted its position in shares of Strategic Education by 53.3% during the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 1,044 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $98,000 after acquiring an additional 363 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.27% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Strategic Education

In related news, CEO Raymond Karl Mcdonnell sold 31,855 shares of Strategic Education stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $97.83, for a total value of $3,116,374.65. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 140,281 shares in the company, valued at $13,723,690.23. The trade was a 18.51 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CFO Daniel Wayne Jackson sold 6,025 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $97.83, for a total transaction of $589,425.75. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 81,756 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,998,189.48. This trade represents a 6.86 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 39,332 shares of company stock worth $3,825,169. Company insiders own 3.30% of the company’s stock.

Strategic Education Stock Performance

NASDAQ STRA opened at $84.82 on Wednesday. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $91.24 and its 200-day moving average price is $92.72. Strategic Education, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $78.43 and a fifty-two week high of $123.62. The company has a market cap of $2.09 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.16, a P/E/G ratio of 1.22 and a beta of 0.59.

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 analysts’ expectations of $315.18 million. As a group, equities analysts predict that Strategic Education, Inc. will post 4.79 EPS for the current year.

Strategic Education Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Monday, March 10th were issued a $0.60 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 10th. This represents a $2.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.83%. Strategic Education’s payout ratio is 51.39%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

Strategic Education 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.