Hsbc Holdings PLC Raises Position in Strategic Education Inc. $STRA

Hsbc Holdings PLC increased its holdings in shares of Strategic Education Inc. (NASDAQ:STRA) by 109.4% during the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 14,480 shares of the health services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 7,564 shares during the period. Hsbc Holdings PLC’s holdings in Strategic Education were worth $1,229,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its stake in shares of Strategic Education by 148.9% during the second quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 331 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 198 shares during the last quarter. Assetmark Inc. boosted its stake in Strategic Education by 54.3% in the 2nd quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 395 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 139 shares in the last quarter. Kestra Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in Strategic Education during the 1st quarter worth approximately $82,000. R Squared Ltd acquired a new position in Strategic Education during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $202,000. Finally, Ameritas Investment Partners Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Strategic Education by 9.3% in the second quarter. Ameritas Investment Partners Inc. now owns 2,460 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $209,000 after buying an additional 210 shares during the last quarter. 93.27% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Strategic Education Stock Performance

NASDAQ:STRA opened at $76.61 on Tuesday. The company has a fifty day moving average of $79.69 and a two-hundred day moving average of $81.43. Strategic Education Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $72.25 and a fifty-two week high of $104.51. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.80 billion, a PE ratio of 15.93, a P/E/G ratio of 0.90 and a beta of 0.57.

Strategic Education (NASDAQ:STRA) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 6th. The health services provider reported $1.63 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.30 by $0.33. The firm had revenue of $319.95 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $315.40 million. Strategic Education had a return on equity of 8.18% and a net margin of 9.08%.The firm’s revenue was up 4.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.16 EPS. Research analysts forecast that Strategic Education Inc. will post 4.79 earnings per share for the current year.

Strategic Education Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 8th. Investors of record on Monday, December 1st were issued a $0.60 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 1st. This represents a $2.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.1%. Strategic Education’s dividend payout ratio is currently 49.90%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. BMO Capital Markets reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Strategic Education in a report on Monday, September 8th. Barrington Research restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $105.00 price objective on shares of Strategic Education in a research note on Friday, November 7th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Strategic Education in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Strategic Education from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, September 13th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $99.33.

Strategic Education 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.