Guidance Capital Inc. Buys New Stake in Strategic Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:STRA)

Guidance Capital Inc. purchased a new stake in Strategic Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:STRA) in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 4,612 shares of the health services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $449,000.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Russell Investments Group Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of Strategic Education in the fourth quarter valued at about $73,000. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC boosted its holdings in Strategic Education by 27.8% in the 3rd quarter. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC now owns 1,084 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $82,000 after acquiring an additional 236 shares during the period. TFO Wealth Partners LLC grew its position in Strategic Education by 118,000.0% in the fourth quarter. TFO Wealth Partners LLC now owns 1,181 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $109,000 after acquiring an additional 1,180 shares in the last quarter. Everence Capital Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Strategic Education during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $236,000. Finally, Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Strategic Education during the fourth quarter worth $272,000. 93.27% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have commented on the stock. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on shares of Strategic Education from $123.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, April 29th. StockNews.com upgraded Strategic Education from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, April 26th. Truist Financial upped 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. Bank of America increased their target price on Strategic Education from $104.00 to $124.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 5th. Finally, Barrington Research raised their price target on shares of Strategic Education from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 25th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat, Strategic Education presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $133.50.

Insider Transactions at Strategic Education

In other news, Director Robert R. Grusky sold 250 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $118.55, for a total transaction of $29,637.50. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 11,695 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,386,442.25. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other news, Director Robert R. Grusky sold 350 shares of Strategic Education 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 transaction, the director now directly owns 11,345 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,389,762.50. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Robert R. Grusky sold 250 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $118.55, for a total transaction of $29,637.50. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 11,695 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,386,442.25. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 1,062 shares of company stock valued at $128,410 in the last quarter. Insiders own 3.10% of the company’s stock.

Strategic Education Stock Performance

NASDAQ STRA traded up $1.86 on Friday, hitting $110.66. The stock had a trading volume of 408,980 shares, compared to its average volume of 144,204. The company’s 50-day moving average is $113.74 and its two-hundred day moving average is $103.13. The stock has a market cap of $2.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.22, a P/E/G ratio of 1.05 and a beta of 0.57. The company has a quick ratio of 1.49, a current ratio of 1.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04. Strategic Education, Inc. has a one year low of $64.53 and a one year high of $123.62.

Strategic Education (NASDAQ:STRA) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 25th. The health services provider reported $1.11 earnings per share 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 business had revenue of $290.25 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $274.02 million. On average, analysts expect that Strategic Education, Inc. will post 4.96 earnings per share for the current year.

Strategic Education Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 3rd. Investors of record on Friday, May 24th were issued a dividend of $0.60 per share. This represents a $2.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.17%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 23rd. Strategic Education’s payout ratio is currently 56.87%.

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.