Strategic Education Inc. $STRA Shares Sold by JPMorgan Chase & Co.

JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased its stake in Strategic Education Inc. (NASDAQ:STRA) by 61.5% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 75,669 shares of the health services provider’s stock after selling 120,788 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. owned approximately 0.32% of Strategic Education worth $6,508,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Blue Trust Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Strategic Education in the third quarter valued at $25,000. Allworth Financial LP boosted its position in shares of Strategic Education by 88.5% in the 3rd quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 294 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 138 shares in the last quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. grew its stake in Strategic Education by 85.2% in the 2nd quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. now owns 387 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 178 shares during the last quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board purchased a new position in Strategic Education during the 2nd quarter valued at about $94,000. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Strategic Education by 192.7% during the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,162 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $99,000 after acquiring an additional 765 shares in the last quarter. 93.27% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Strategic Education Stock Performance

Shares of STRA opened at $82.96 on Wednesday. Strategic Education Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $72.17 and a fifty-two week high of $93.45. The company has a market capitalization of $1.88 billion, a PE ratio of 15.31, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.79 and a beta of 0.56. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $80.86 and a two-hundred day moving average of $80.84.

Strategic Education (NASDAQ:STRA) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 26th. The health services provider reported $1.74 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.47 by $0.27. The business had revenue of $311.46 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $322.29 million. Strategic Education had a return on equity of 8.75% and a net margin of 9.98%.The business’s revenue was up 3.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.27 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Strategic Education Inc. will post 4.79 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Strategic Education Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 16th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 9th were issued a $0.60 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 9th. This represents a $2.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.9%. Strategic Education’s payout ratio is 44.28%.

Insider Activity at Strategic Education

In other news, Chairman Robert S. Silberman bought 718 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 13th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $80.82 per share, for a total transaction of $58,028.76. Following the completion of the purchase, the chairman owned 319,870 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $25,851,893.40. This trade represents a 0.22% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Raymond Karl Mcdonnell sold 38,840 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $75.35, for a total value of $2,926,594.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 106,332 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,012,116.20. This represents a 26.75% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last quarter, insiders sold 62,420 shares of company stock worth $4,843,218. 3.60% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have commented on the company. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Strategic Education in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Wall Street Zen downgraded Strategic Education from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday. Barrington Research reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $105.00 price objective on shares of Strategic Education in a research note on Monday, January 26th. Zacks Research upgraded Strategic Education from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, March 2nd. Finally, Truist Financial downgraded shares of Strategic Education from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and cut their target price for the company from $95.00 to $85.00 in a research note on Tuesday, March 24th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have issued a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $92.67.

About Strategic Education

Strategic Education, Inc is a publicly traded higher education services holding company headquartered in Herndon, Virginia. Through its primary operating subsidiaries, Strayer University and Capella University, the company delivers degree programs and professional development opportunities to working adults. Its offerings span undergraduate and graduate degrees, certificates, continuing education, and workforce training in fields such as business, technology, health services, education, and public administration.

Strayer University, with a network of physical campuses across the United States complemented by an online platform, provides associate’s through doctoral degrees designed to accommodate non-traditional students.