Strategic Education (NASDAQ:STRA) Price Target Raised to $135.00 at Barrington Research

Strategic Education (NASDAQ:STRA) had its price objective increased by Barrington Research from $125.00 to $135.00 in a research report released on Thursday morning, Benzinga reports. They currently have an outperform rating on the health services provider’s stock.

A number of other analysts have also recently issued reports on STRA. TheStreet raised Strategic Education from a c+ rating to a b rating in a research report on Thursday, February 29th. Truist Financial raised Strategic Education from a hold rating to a buy rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $110.00 to $125.00 in a research note on Wednesday, April 17th. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on Strategic Education from $103.00 to $123.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a report on Friday, March 1st. StockNews.com cut Strategic Education from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 9th. Finally, Bank of America increased their price objective on shares of Strategic Education from $104.00 to $124.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 5th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $131.75.

Strategic Education Stock Performance

STRA traded up $3.18 on Thursday, hitting $120.22. The company had a trading volume of 166,035 shares, compared to its average volume of 96,117. Strategic Education has a 1-year low of $64.53 and a 1-year high of $120.83. The stock has a market cap of $2.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.00, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.20 and a beta of 0.50. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $101.37 and its 200 day moving average price is $93.90. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04, a current ratio of 1.57 and a quick ratio of 1.57.

Strategic Education (NASDAQ:STRA) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The health services provider reported $1.11 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.60 by $0.51. The firm had revenue of $290.25 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $274.02 million. Strategic Education had a return on equity of 5.52% and a net margin of 6.16%. Equities analysts predict that Strategic Education will post 4.61 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Strategic Education Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 3rd. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 24th will be given a dividend of $0.60 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 23rd. This represents a $2.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.00%. Strategic Education’s payout ratio is currently 82.76%.

Insider Activity

In other Strategic Education news, CFO Daniel Wayne Jackson sold 3,713 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $95.95, for a total value of $356,262.35. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 71,770 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,886,331.50. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In related news, CEO Raymond Karl Mcdonnell sold 12,820 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $95.99, for a total transaction of $1,230,591.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 161,359 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $15,488,850.41. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CFO Daniel Wayne Jackson sold 3,713 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,886,331.50. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 3.10% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Strategic Education

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. SG Americas Securities LLC lifted its stake in Strategic Education by 320.0% in the 3rd quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 13,155 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $990,000 after acquiring an additional 10,023 shares in the last quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC purchased a new stake in Strategic Education in the 3rd quarter worth about $1,338,000. IQ EQ FUND MANAGEMENT IRELAND Ltd raised its stake in shares of Strategic Education by 8.8% during the 3rd quarter. IQ EQ FUND MANAGEMENT IRELAND Ltd now owns 5,192 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $391,000 after purchasing an additional 422 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. raised its stake in shares of Strategic Education by 3.1% during the 3rd quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. now owns 11,676 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $879,000 after purchasing an additional 349 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank raised its stake in shares of Strategic Education by 30.9% during the 3rd quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 3,787 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $285,000 after purchasing an additional 894 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.27% of the company’s stock.

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.