Strategic Education (NASDAQ:STRA) Director Michael Thawley Purchases 940 Shares of Company Stock

Strategic Education Inc. (NASDAQ:STRA) Director Michael Thawley acquired 940 shares of Strategic Education stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 10th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $52.68 per share, for a total transaction of $49,519.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 14,044 shares in the company, valued at approximately $739,837.92. The trade was a 7.17% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link.

Michael Thawley also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Friday, November 6th, Michael Thawley acquired 950 shares of Strategic Education stock. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $51.42 per share, for a total transaction of $48,849.00.

Strategic Education Price Performance

NASDAQ:STRA opened at $54.59 on Wednesday. The business has a 50 day moving average of $77.73 and a 200 day moving average of $79.71. The company has a market capitalization of $1.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 321.12, a PEG ratio of 0.73 and a beta of 0.51. Strategic Education Inc. has a 1-year low of $50.70 and a 1-year high of $89.73.

Strategic Education (NASDAQ:STRA) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 5th. The health services provider reported $1.72 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.95 by ($0.23). The business had revenue of $325.07 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $326.55 million. Strategic Education had a net margin of 0.74% and a return on equity of 9.13%. The firm’s revenue was up 1.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.64 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Strategic Education Inc. will post 7.25 EPS for the current year.

Strategic Education Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 7th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 30th will be paid a $0.60 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 30th. This represents a $2.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.4%. Strategic Education’s dividend payout ratio is 1,411.76%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Strategic Education

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Axiom Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Strategic Education during the first quarter worth about $25,000. Heritage Family Offices LLP purchased a new position in Strategic Education during the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. raised its position in Strategic Education by 305.3% during the 4th quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 616 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $49,000 after purchasing an additional 464 shares during the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP bought a new position in Strategic Education during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $49,000. Finally, Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio bought a new position in Strategic Education during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $51,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.27% of the company’s stock.

More Strategic Education News

Here are the key news stories impacting Strategic Education this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Two directors reported buying shares in multiple transactions from November 6–10. Michael Thawley bought 1,890 shares and William J. Slocum bought 1,250 shares; together, their purchases totaled 3,140 shares for about $163,000. Insider purchases can signal confidence, though they do not guarantee improved business results. SEC filing for Thawley purchases SEC filing for Slocum purchases
• Neutral Sentiment: A report listed short interest at zero shares and days to cover at zero. That indicates no reported short position in the data, but the entry’s description of a “large increase” conflicts with its figures.
• Negative Sentiment: Wall Street Zen and Barrington Research moved their ratings to “Hold,” and another report says sell-side analysts now rate STRA “Hold.” The change may limit expectations for near-term upside, although the articles provide no new company-specific fundamentals. Wall Street Zen rating Barrington Research rating Sell-side analyst ratings

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently commented on STRA shares. William Blair cut shares of Strategic Education to a “market perform” rating in a research report on Friday. BMO Capital Markets lowered shares of Strategic Education from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and cut their price target for the company from $95.00 to $66.00 in a research report on Friday. Weiss Ratings cut Strategic Education from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 28th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Strategic Education from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday. Finally, Barrington Research lowered Strategic Education from an “outperform” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, November 6th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating. According to MarketBeat.com, Strategic Education has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $87.00.

Strategic Education Company Profile

Strategic Education, Inc. is an education services company that provides postsecondary programs and workforce-focused learning services. Its U.S. institutions include Strayer University and Capella University, which offer undergraduate and graduate programs in fields such as business, technology, health care and education through online and campus-based instruction. Outside the United States, the company operates Torrens University Australia and other education institutions serving students in Australia and New Zealand.