Strategic Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:STRA) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Buy” by Analysts

Shares of Strategic Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:STRA) have received an average recommendation of “Buy” from the four research firms that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy recommendation. The average 1-year target price among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $126.00.

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the company. StockNews.com lowered Strategic Education from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, October 5th. Barrington Research reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $135.00 price objective on shares of Strategic Education in a research report on Thursday, September 26th. Truist Financial reduced their price objective on Strategic Education from $145.00 to $120.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reduced their price objective on Strategic Education from $130.00 to $125.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, August 1st.

Strategic Education Stock Down 0.8 %

Shares of NASDAQ:STRA opened at $88.14 on Monday. Strategic Education has a 52-week low of $76.94 and a 52-week high of $123.62. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.89, a P/E/G ratio of 1.27 and a beta of 0.56. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $92.79 and a 200-day moving average price of $104.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04, a quick ratio of 1.57 and a current ratio of 1.57.

Strategic Education (NASDAQ:STRA) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, July 31st. The health services provider reported $1.33 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.19 by $0.14. Strategic Education had a return on equity of 7.47% and a net margin of 9.84%. The firm had revenue of $312.30 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $308.16 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.82 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 8.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Strategic Education will post 4.65 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Strategic Education Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 6th were paid a $0.60 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, September 6th. This represents a $2.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.72%. Strategic Education’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 56.87%.

Insider Transactions at Strategic Education

In other news, Director Viet D. Dinh purchased 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 2nd. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $95.59 per share, for a total transaction of $477,950.00. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 20,020 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,913,711.80. This represents a 0.00 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 3.10% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Strategic Education

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. lifted its position in Strategic Education by 46.3% during the second quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 395 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $44,000 after purchasing an additional 125 shares in the last quarter. Arizona State Retirement System raised its holdings in Strategic Education by 2.6% during the second quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 6,199 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $686,000 after acquiring an additional 160 shares during the period. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund raised its holdings in Strategic Education by 1.3% during the first quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund now owns 12,984 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $1,352,000 after acquiring an additional 165 shares during the period. Evergreen Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Strategic Education by 8.7% during the second quarter. Evergreen Capital Management LLC now owns 2,160 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $239,000 after acquiring an additional 172 shares during the period. Finally, Louisiana State Employees Retirement System raised its holdings in Strategic Education by 1.9% during the second quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System now owns 11,000 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $1,217,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares during the period. 93.27% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Strategic Education

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.