Ruffer LLP Takes Position in Stride, Inc. (NYSE:LRN)

Ruffer LLP purchased a new stake in shares of Stride, Inc. (NYSE:LRN) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 39,141 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,068,000. Ruffer LLP owned 0.09% of Stride at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Stride by 293.1% in the fourth quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 866,182 shares of the company’s stock worth $90,024,000 after buying an additional 645,835 shares during the period. Victory Capital Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Stride by 72.4% in the 3rd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 827,505 shares of the company’s stock worth $70,594,000 after acquiring an additional 347,564 shares in the last quarter. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. increased its position in Stride by 51.1% during the 3rd quarter. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. now owns 929,855 shares of the company’s stock valued at $79,326,000 after buying an additional 314,435 shares in the last quarter. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P acquired a new position in shares of Stride in the third quarter valued at about $21,044,000. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP grew its holdings in Stride by 416.7% during the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 275,483 shares of the company’s stock worth $23,501,000 after acquiring an additional 222,165 shares during the period. 98.24% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Stride Trading Down 7.4 %

Shares of LRN opened at $123.36 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $125.87 and a 200-day simple moving average of $103.22. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 6.02 and a quick ratio of 5.93. The stock has a market cap of $5.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.59, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.04 and a beta of 0.46. Stride, Inc. has a 1-year low of $56.17 and a 1-year high of $145.00.

Stride (NYSE:LRN) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 28th. The company reported $2.03 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.92 by $0.11. Stride had a return on equity of 22.42% and a net margin of 12.30%. Equities analysts forecast that Stride, Inc. will post 6.67 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have weighed in on LRN. BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on shares of Stride from $122.00 to $134.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Barrington Research increased their target price on shares of Stride from $130.00 to $140.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 29th. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on Stride from $94.00 to $109.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group increased their price target on shares of Stride from $100.00 to $130.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, January 27th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $116.83.

About Stride

Stride, Inc, a technology-based education service company, engages in the provision of proprietary and third-party online curriculum, software systems, and educational services in the United States and internationally. Its technology-based products and services enable clients to attract, enroll, educate, track progress, support, and facilitate individualized learning for students.