The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company Invests $777,000 in Strategic Education Inc. $STRA

The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company bought a new position in Strategic Education Inc. (NASDAQ:STRA) during the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 10,139 shares of the health services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $777,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Axiom Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in Strategic Education in the first quarter worth approximately $25,000. Allworth Financial LP increased its holdings in shares of Strategic Education by 88.5% in the third quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 294 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 138 shares in the last quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. lifted its position in shares of Strategic Education by 154.2% during the 4th quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 333 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 202 shares during the last quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. lifted its position in shares of Strategic Education by 85.2% during 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. Finally, Sankala Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Strategic Education during the 4th quarter worth $37,000. 93.27% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Strategic Education Trading Down 0.4%

Shares of STRA stock opened at $81.59 on Friday. Strategic Education Inc. has a 1-year low of $69.70 and a 1-year high of $89.73. The company has a market capitalization of $1.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.60, a P/E/G ratio of 0.75 and a beta of 0.49. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $81.49 and its 200-day simple moving average is $80.24.

Strategic Education (NASDAQ:STRA) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The health services provider reported $1.76 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.80 by ($0.04). The business had revenue of $321.60 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $327.55 million. Strategic Education had a net margin of 10.46% and a return on equity of 8.98%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 4.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.54 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Strategic Education Inc. will post 7.23 EPS for the current year.

Strategic Education Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 14th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 4th will be issued a $0.60 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 4th. This represents a $2.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.9%. Strategic Education’s dividend payout ratio is currently 40.00%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. Truist Financial lifted their target price on Strategic Education from $80.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Zacks Research downgraded Strategic Education from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 2nd. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on Strategic Education from $86.00 to $91.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, July 6th. Wall Street Zen raised Strategic Education from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, August 1st. Finally, Barrington Research set a $105.00 price objective on Strategic Education in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $95.33.

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.