Strategic Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:STRA) CFO Sells $589,425.75 in Stock

Strategic Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:STRA) CFO Daniel Wayne Jackson sold 6,025 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $97.83, for a total value of $589,425.75. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 81,756 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,998,189.48. This trade represents a 6.86 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink.

Strategic Education Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ STRA traded down $18.14 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $79.80. The company had a trading volume of 319,728 shares, compared to its average volume of 100,767. The company has a market capitalization of $1.96 billion, a PE ratio of 15.20, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.22 and a beta of 0.59. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $96.88 and its 200 day simple moving average is $94.93. Strategic Education, Inc. has a 1-year low of $79.37 and a 1-year high of $123.62.

Strategic Education (NASDAQ:STRA) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 27th. The health services provider reported $1.27 earnings per share (EPS) 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%. On average, analysts expect 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 will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 10th will be issued a dividend of $0.60 per share. This represents a $2.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.01%. Strategic Education’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 45.71%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Strategic Education

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of STRA. International Assets Investment Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Strategic Education by 10,374.4% during the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 199,538 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $18,467,000 after purchasing an additional 197,633 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its holdings in Strategic Education by 76.7% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 399,144 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $36,941,000 after buying an additional 173,225 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Strategic Education during the 4th quarter worth about $15,715,000. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership boosted its position in shares of Strategic Education by 207.3% during the 4th quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 175,141 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $16,362,000 after acquiring an additional 118,151 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Barclays PLC increased its holdings in shares of Strategic Education by 202.3% in the 4th quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 114,765 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $10,720,000 after acquiring an additional 76,804 shares during the last quarter. 93.27% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

STRA has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. StockNews.com raised Strategic Education from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Barrington Research lowered their price objective on shares of Strategic Education from $135.00 to $120.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $122.25.

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.