BMO Capital Markets Cuts Strategic Education (NASDAQ:STRA) Price Target to $97.00

Strategic Education (NASDAQ:STRA) had its target price reduced by stock analysts at BMO Capital Markets from $114.00 to $97.00 in a report released on Monday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an “outperform” rating on the health services provider’s stock. BMO Capital Markets’ price target indicates a potential upside of 20.09% from the stock’s previous close.

Several other equities research analysts have also commented on the company. Barrington Research reduced their price objective on Strategic Education from $135.00 to $120.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday. StockNews.com raised Strategic Education from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Strategic Education presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $115.25.

Strategic Education Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:STRA opened at $80.77 on Monday. Strategic Education has a 52-week low of $78.62 and a 52-week high of $123.62. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.36, a PEG ratio of 1.22 and a beta of 0.59. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $96.33 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $94.75.

Strategic Education (NASDAQ:STRA) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 27th. The health services provider reported $1.27 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.37 by ($0.10). Strategic Education had a return on equity of 7.61% and a net margin of 10.44%. The business had revenue of $311.46 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $315.18 million. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Strategic Education will post 4.79 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Strategic Education

In related news, CEO Raymond Karl Mcdonnell sold 31,855 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $97.83, for a total transaction of $3,116,374.65. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 140,281 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,723,690.23. This trade represents a 18.51 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Daniel Wayne Jackson sold 6,025 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $97.83, for a total value of $589,425.75. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 81,756 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,998,189.48. This represents a 6.86 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 3.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Strategic Education

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. lifted its stake in Strategic Education by 6.8% in the 4th quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 3,009 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $281,000 after purchasing an additional 191 shares in the last quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC increased its holdings in shares of Strategic Education by 2.6% in the fourth quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 8,113 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $758,000 after purchasing an additional 205 shares during the last quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Strategic Education by 9.8% in the third quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 2,448 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $228,000 after buying an additional 218 shares in the last quarter. US Bancorp DE lifted its position in shares of Strategic Education by 12.8% in the third quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 1,938 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $179,000 after buying an additional 220 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of Montreal Can boosted its stake in Strategic Education by 7.5% during the fourth quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 3,542 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $331,000 after buying an additional 246 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors 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.