Strategic Education (NASDAQ:STRA) Director Acquires 940 Shares of Stock

Strategic Education Inc. (NASDAQ:STRA) Director Michael Thawley purchased 940 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 10th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $52.68 per share, for a total transaction of $49,519.20. Following the purchase, the director owned 14,044 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $739,837.92. This represents a 7.17% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink.

Michael Thawley also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Friday, November 6th, Michael Thawley acquired 950 shares of Strategic Education stock. The shares were acquired at an average price of $51.42 per share, with a total value of $48,849.00.

Strategic Education Stock Performance

STRA stock traded up $1.42 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $54.37. 458,219 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 292,673. Strategic Education Inc. has a 52 week low of $50.70 and a 52 week high of $89.73. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 319.79, a P/E/G ratio of 0.69 and a beta of 0.51. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $78.30 and a 200 day simple moving average of $79.87.

Strategic Education (NASDAQ:STRA) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, November 5th. The health services provider reported $1.72 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.95 by ($0.23). The business had revenue of $325.07 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $326.55 million. Strategic Education had a return on equity of 8.98% and a net margin of 10.46%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 1.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.64 earnings per share. Research analysts forecast that Strategic Education Inc. will post 7.23 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Strategic Education Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 7th. Investors of record on Monday, November 30th will be given a $0.60 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 30th. This represents a $2.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.4%. Strategic Education’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 1,411.76%.

Institutional Trading of Strategic Education

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Hsbc Holdings PLC bought a new position in shares of Strategic Education during the second quarter valued at approximately $1,594,000. Bank of America Corp DE purchased a new stake in shares of Strategic Education in the second quarter worth approximately $6,974,000. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Strategic Education in the second quarter worth approximately $291,189,000. PDT Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Strategic Education in the second quarter worth approximately $3,521,000. Finally, Empowered Funds LLC bought a new stake in shares of Strategic Education during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $6,107,000. Institutional investors own 93.27% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

STRA has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Truist Financial upped their price objective on Strategic Education from $80.00 to $90.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Weiss Ratings cut Strategic Education from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 28th. Barrington Research cut Strategic Education from an “outperform” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday. Wall Street Zen downgraded Strategic Education from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday. Finally, William Blair lowered Strategic Education to a “market perform” rating in a report on Friday. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $87.00.

Strategic Education Company Profile

Strategic Education, Inc. is an education services company that provides postsecondary programs and workforce-focused learning services. Its U.S. institutions include Strayer University and Capella University, which offer undergraduate and graduate programs in fields such as business, technology, health care and education through online and campus-based instruction. Outside the United States, the company operates Torrens University Australia and other education institutions serving students in Australia and New Zealand.