Hsbc Holdings PLC Makes New Investment in Strategic Education Inc. $STRA

Hsbc Holdings PLC purchased a new stake in shares of Strategic Education Inc. (NASDAQ:STRA) in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 20,567 shares of the health services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $1,594,000. Hsbc Holdings PLC owned 0.09% of Strategic Education as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Allworth Financial LP boosted its stake in shares of Strategic Education by 88.5% during the third quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 294 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 138 shares during the period. Axiom Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in Strategic Education during the 1st quarter valued at $25,000. Hantz Financial Services Inc. raised its holdings in 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 buying an additional 202 shares during the last quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. boosted its position in 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 buying an additional 178 shares during the period. Finally, Sankala Group LLC bought a new stake in Strategic Education in the 4th quarter worth $37,000. 93.27% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Strategic Education news, insider Christa Hokenson sold 2,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $80.00, for a total value of $160,000.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 65,195 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,215,600. This represents a 2.98% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 3.60% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Strategic Education in a research note on Friday, July 17th. Wall Street Zen raised Strategic Education from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, August 1st. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on Strategic Education from $86.00 to $91.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, July 6th. Truist Financial upped their price target on Strategic Education from $80.00 to $90.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Finally, Barrington Research set a $105.00 price objective on Strategic Education in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $95.33.

Strategic Education Stock Performance

Strategic Education stock opened at $84.64 on Monday. Strategic Education Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $69.70 and a fifty-two week high of $89.73. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $80.97 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $80.07. The stock has a market cap of $1.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.11, a PEG ratio of 0.78 and a beta of 0.49.

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

Strategic Education Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 14th. Investors of record on Friday, September 4th will be paid a $0.60 dividend. This represents a $2.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 4th. Strategic Education’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 40.00%.

Strategic Education Company Profile

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.