Strategic Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:STRA) Receives Consensus Rating of “Buy” from Brokerages

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

A number of analysts have recently commented on STRA shares. StockNews.com cut Strategic Education from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, October 5th. Barrington Research reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $135.00 target price on shares of Strategic Education in a report on Thursday, September 26th. Truist Financial reduced their price target on Strategic Education from $145.00 to $120.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets dropped their price target on shares of Strategic Education from $130.00 to $125.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, August 1st.

Strategic Education Stock Performance

Shares of STRA stock opened at $88.14 on Monday. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $92.79 and its 200-day moving average price is $104.26. The stock has a market cap of $2.17 billion, a PE ratio of 20.89, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.27 and a beta of 0.56. The company has a current ratio of 1.57, a quick ratio of 1.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04. Strategic Education has a 12 month low of $76.94 and a 12 month high of $123.62.

Strategic Education (NASDAQ:STRA) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 31st. The health services provider reported $1.33 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.19 by $0.14. The company had revenue of $312.30 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $308.16 million. Strategic Education had a net margin of 9.84% and a return on equity of 7.47%. Strategic Education’s revenue was up 8.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.82 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that Strategic Education will post 4.65 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Strategic Education Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 16th. Investors of record on Friday, September 6th were issued a $0.60 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, September 6th. This represents a $2.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.72%. Strategic Education’s payout ratio is 56.87%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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. 3.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Strategic Education

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. lifted its position in Strategic Education by 103.6% during the fourth quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 253,390 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $23,406,000 after purchasing an additional 128,961 shares in the last quarter. Guidance Capital Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Strategic Education during the 1st quarter valued at about $449,000. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. grew its stake in shares of Strategic Education by 32.8% during the 1st quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. now owns 3,911 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $407,000 after acquiring an additional 967 shares during the period. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. increased its holdings in Strategic Education by 18.7% in the 1st quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 15,743 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $1,639,000 after acquiring an additional 2,477 shares in the last quarter. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC lifted its holdings in 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 in the last quarter. 93.27% of the stock is currently 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.