Strategic Education (NASDAQ:STRA) Reaches New 1-Year High at $121.72

Strategic Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:STRA)’s share price hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Monday . The stock traded as high as $121.72 and last traded at $121.33, with a volume of 8818 shares. The stock had previously closed at $120.65.

Analyst Ratings Changes

STRA has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Bank of America lifted their target price on Strategic Education from $104.00 to $124.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 5th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Strategic Education from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, April 26th. Truist Financial boosted their price target on shares of Strategic Education from $125.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, April 26th. Barrington Research increased their price objective on Strategic Education from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, April 25th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on Strategic Education from $123.00 to $130.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, April 29th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $133.50.

Strategic Education Trading Down 1.5 %

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04, a quick ratio of 1.49 and a current ratio of 1.49. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $105.19 and its 200 day moving average price is $96.21. The company has a market cap of $2.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.23 and a beta of 0.45.

Strategic Education (NASDAQ:STRA) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The health services provider reported $1.11 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.60 by $0.51. Strategic Education had a net margin of 8.70% and a return on equity of 6.78%. The firm had revenue of $290.25 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $274.02 million. Research analysts anticipate that Strategic Education, Inc. will post 5.01 EPS for the current year.

Strategic Education Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 3rd. Investors of record on Friday, May 24th will be issued a $0.60 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 23rd. This represents a $2.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.98%. Strategic Education’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 56.87%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CFO Daniel Wayne Jackson sold 3,713 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $95.95, for a total value of $356,262.35. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 71,770 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,886,331.50. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In related news, CFO Daniel Wayne Jackson sold 3,713 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $95.95, for a total transaction of $356,262.35. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 71,770 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,886,331.50. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Robert R. Grusky sold 350 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $122.50, for a total value of $42,875.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 11,345 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,389,762.50. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 17,595 shares of company stock valued at $1,715,264 over the last 90 days. 3.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Strategic Education

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund lifted its stake in shares of Strategic Education by 1.3% in 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 buying an additional 165 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC increased its position in shares of Strategic Education by 78.3% during the first quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 7,396 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $770,000 after purchasing an additional 3,248 shares during the period. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. lifted its position in Strategic Education by 18.7% in the first quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 15,743 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $1,639,000 after purchasing an additional 2,477 shares during the period. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. boosted its stake in Strategic Education by 32.8% during the first quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. now owns 3,911 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $407,000 after buying an additional 967 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in Strategic Education by 4.5% in the 1st quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. now owns 11,912 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $1,240,000 after buying an additional 511 shares during the period. 93.27% of the stock is owned by 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.