Strategic Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:STRA) Shares Sold by Comerica Bank

Comerica Bank cut its holdings in shares of Strategic Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:STRA) by 5.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 14,293 shares of the health services provider’s stock after selling 877 shares during the period. Comerica Bank owned about 0.06% of Strategic Education worth $1,335,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new position in shares of Strategic Education in the third quarter worth about $37,000. R Squared Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Strategic Education in the fourth quarter worth about $42,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its position in shares of Strategic Education by 394.8% in the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 480 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $44,000 after acquiring an additional 383 shares during the period. Sterling Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Strategic Education by 809.1% in the fourth quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 700 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $65,000 after acquiring an additional 623 shares during the period. Finally, Pacer Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Strategic Education in the fourth quarter worth about $96,000. 93.27% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at Strategic Education

In related news, Director Robert R. Grusky sold 1,494 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, April 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $80.27, for a total transaction of $119,923.38. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 11,349 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $910,984.23. This represents a 11.63% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Michael A. Mcrobbie acquired 600 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 10th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $81.80 per share, with a total value of $49,080.00. Following the purchase, the director now owns 6,135 shares in the company, valued at $501,843. This represents a 10.84% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders sold 40,826 shares of company stock valued at $3,945,093 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 3.30% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

STRA has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Strategic Education from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, April 25th. BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on shares of Strategic Education from $97.00 to $98.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, April 28th. Truist Financial set a $105.00 target price on shares of Strategic Education in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. Finally, Barrington Research reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $120.00 target price on shares of Strategic Education in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th.

Strategic Education Stock Up 1.2%

STRA stock opened at $89.26 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.00, a P/E/G ratio of 1.22 and a beta of 0.52. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $81.79 and a 200-day simple moving average of $90.93. Strategic Education, Inc. has a 52 week low of $74.28 and a 52 week high of $121.68.

Strategic Education (NASDAQ:STRA) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The health services provider reported $1.30 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.01 by $0.29. The business had revenue of $303.59 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $300.67 million. Strategic Education had a net margin of 10.44% and a return on equity of 7.61%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 4.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.11 earnings per share. On average, analysts expect that Strategic Education, Inc. will post 4.79 earnings per share for the current year.

Strategic Education Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 2nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 23rd will be paid a dividend of $0.60 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 23rd. This represents a $2.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.69%. Strategic Education’s dividend payout ratio is currently 51.28%.

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.