Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund Lowers Position in Strategic Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:STRA)

Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund cut its holdings in Strategic Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:STRA) by 2.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 12,819 shares of the health services provider’s stock after selling 336 shares during the quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund owned approximately 0.05% of Strategic Education worth $1,184,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in STRA. Burgundy Asset Management Ltd. lifted its position in shares of Strategic Education by 0.9% during the third quarter. Burgundy Asset Management Ltd. now owns 1,114,167 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $83,841,000 after buying an additional 10,124 shares during the last quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Strategic Education by 155.7% during the third quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 396,049 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $29,803,000 after buying an additional 241,168 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Strategic Education by 2.4% during the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 272,101 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $20,476,000 after buying an additional 6,390 shares during the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Strategic Education by 6,377.0% during the fourth quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 178,182 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $16,459,000 after buying an additional 175,431 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Strategic Education by 13.3% during the third quarter. Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC now owns 73,207 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $5,509,000 after buying an additional 8,604 shares during the last quarter. 93.27% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Strategic Education Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:STRA opened at $121.06 on Friday. Strategic Education, Inc. has a twelve month low of $64.53 and a twelve month high of $121.29. The company’s 50 day moving average is $101.89 and its 200 day moving average is $94.27. The company has a current ratio of 1.49, a quick ratio of 1.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04. The company has a market cap of $2.98 billion, a PE ratio of 28.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.44 and a beta of 0.50.

Strategic Education (NASDAQ:STRA) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The health services provider reported $1.11 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.60 by $0.51. Strategic Education had a net margin of 8.70% and a return on equity of 6.78%. The company had revenue of $290.25 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $274.02 million. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Strategic Education, Inc. will post 4.75 EPS for the current year.

Strategic Education Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 3rd. Investors of record on Friday, May 24th will be issued a $0.60 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 23rd. This represents a $2.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.98%. Strategic Education’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 56.87%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Raymond Karl Mcdonnell sold 12,820 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $95.99, for a total value of $1,230,591.80. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 161,359 shares in the company, valued at approximately $15,488,850.41. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. In other Strategic Education news, CFO Daniel Wayne Jackson sold 3,713 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $95.95, for a total value of $356,262.35. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 71,770 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,886,331.50. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Raymond Karl Mcdonnell sold 12,820 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $95.99, for a total value of $1,230,591.80. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 161,359 shares in the company, valued at approximately $15,488,850.41. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 3.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have commented on STRA shares. Bank of America increased their price target on shares of Strategic Education from $104.00 to $124.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 5th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Strategic Education from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday. Barrington Research upped their price objective on shares of Strategic Education from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday. TheStreet upgraded shares of Strategic Education from a “c+” rating to a “b” rating in a report on Thursday, February 29th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on shares of Strategic Education from $103.00 to $123.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, March 1st. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $131.75.

About Strategic Education

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.