Insider Selling: Strategic Education (NASDAQ:STRA) Insider Sells $160,000.00 in Stock

Strategic Education Inc. (NASDAQ:STRA) 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 transaction of $160,000.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 65,195 shares in the company, valued at $5,215,600. This represents a 2.98% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

Strategic Education Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ STRA opened at $81.58 on Monday. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $80.04 and its 200-day moving average price is $80.44. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.41, a P/E/G ratio of 0.75 and a beta of 0.51. Strategic Education Inc. has a 12-month low of $69.70 and a 12-month high of $91.13.

Strategic Education (NASDAQ:STRA) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 23rd. The health services provider reported $1.42 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.51 by ($0.09). The business had revenue of $305.93 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $329.81 million. Strategic Education had a net margin of 10.21% and a return on equity of 8.78%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up .8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.30 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts predict that Strategic Education Inc. will post 7.2 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Strategic Education Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 22nd were given a dividend of $0.60 per share. This represents a $2.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.9%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 22nd. Strategic Education’s dividend payout ratio is currently 42.40%.

Institutional Trading of Strategic Education

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Axiom Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in Strategic Education in the 1st quarter worth about $25,000. Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC purchased a new stake in Strategic Education in the 1st quarter worth about $1,232,000. Wellington Grp LLC raised its position in Strategic Education by 9.1% in the 1st quarter. Wellington Grp LLC now owns 6,657 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $552,000 after purchasing an additional 554 shares during the period. Bank of America Corp DE raised its position in Strategic Education by 81.0% in the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 82,238 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $6,822,000 after purchasing an additional 36,792 shares during the period. Finally, Edgestream Partners L.P. purchased a new stake in Strategic Education in the 1st quarter worth about $1,451,000. 93.27% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

STRA has been the topic of several recent research reports. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Strategic Education from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday. Zacks Research cut shares of Strategic Education from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 2nd. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Strategic Education in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. BMO Capital Markets decreased their target price on shares of Strategic Education from $95.00 to $86.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 27th. Finally, Barrington Research decreased their target price on shares of Strategic Education from $105.00 to $95.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 23rd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $87.00.

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.