Strategic Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:STRA) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Buy” by Brokerages

Strategic Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:STRA) has earned a consensus recommendation of “Buy” from the four research firms that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. Four analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating. The average 12-month price target among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $126.00.

Several analysts recently issued reports on STRA shares. Barrington Research reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $135.00 price objective on shares of Strategic Education in a research note on Thursday, November 7th. StockNews.com lowered Strategic Education from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, October 5th. Finally, Truist Financial reduced their price objective on Strategic Education from $145.00 to $120.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th.

Strategic Education Price Performance

NASDAQ STRA opened at $92.56 on Friday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $95.58 and its 200-day simple moving average is $97.99. The company has a market cap of $2.27 billion, a PE ratio of 17.63, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.38 and a beta of 0.59. Strategic Education has a 1-year low of $85.11 and a 1-year high of $123.62.

Strategic Education (NASDAQ:STRA) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 7th. The health services provider reported $1.16 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.81 by $0.35. Strategic Education had a return on equity of 7.61% and a net margin of 10.44%. The company had revenue of $305.96 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $301.62 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.97 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Strategic Education will post 4.79 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Strategic Education Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 9th. Investors of record on Monday, December 2nd were issued a $0.60 dividend. This represents a $2.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.59%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 2nd. Strategic Education’s dividend payout ratio is presently 45.71%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Strategic Education

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Meeder Asset Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Strategic Education during the 2nd quarter worth about $36,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new stake in shares of Strategic Education during the third quarter valued at about $37,000. Rothschild Investment LLC acquired a new position in shares of Strategic Education in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $38,000. Innealta Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of Strategic Education during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $38,000. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group Inc. increased its holdings in Strategic Education by 46.3% in the 2nd quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 395 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $44,000 after purchasing an additional 125 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.27% of the company’s stock.

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.