Systematic Financial Management LP Increases Holdings in Strategic Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:STRA)

Systematic Financial Management LP lifted its position in Strategic Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:STRA) by 31.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 30,820 shares of the health services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 7,340 shares during the quarter. Systematic Financial Management LP’s holdings in Strategic Education were worth $2,879,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of STRA. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in Strategic Education by 1.7% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 2,793,685 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $260,986,000 after acquiring an additional 45,421 shares in the last quarter. Marshfield Associates raised its position in Strategic Education by 0.4% during the fourth quarter. Marshfield Associates now owns 1,836,491 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $171,565,000 after acquiring an additional 6,869 shares in the last quarter. Van Lanschot Kempen Investment Management N.V. raised its position in Strategic Education by 12.9% during the fourth quarter. Van Lanschot Kempen Investment Management N.V. now owns 618,286 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $57,760,000 after acquiring an additional 70,743 shares in the last quarter. Royal Bank of Canada raised its position in Strategic Education by 6.2% during the fourth quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 589,053 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $55,029,000 after acquiring an additional 34,608 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Envestnet Asset Management Inc. raised its position in Strategic Education by 4.1% during the fourth quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 397,265 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $37,113,000 after acquiring an additional 15,638 shares in the last quarter. 93.27% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Strategic Education Trading Up 1.8%

Shares of STRA opened at $90.29 on Friday. Strategic Education, Inc. has a 12 month low of $74.28 and a 12 month high of $121.60. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $82.48 and its two-hundred day moving average is $90.97. The firm has a market cap of $2.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.20, a PEG ratio of 1.22 and a beta of 0.52.

Strategic Education (NASDAQ:STRA) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 24th. The health services provider reported $1.30 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.01 by $0.29. Strategic Education had a return on equity of 7.61% and a net margin of 10.44%. The company had revenue of $303.59 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $300.67 million. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.11 earnings per share. Strategic Education’s quarterly revenue was up 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts forecast that Strategic Education, Inc. will post 4.79 EPS for the current year.

Strategic Education Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 2nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 23rd will be issued a $0.60 dividend. This represents a $2.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.66%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 23rd. Strategic Education’s payout ratio is currently 51.28%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

Insider Transactions at Strategic Education

In other news, Director Robert R. Grusky sold 1,494 shares of Strategic Education stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, April 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $80.27, for a total value of $119,923.38. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 11,349 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $910,984.23. The trade was a 11.63% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CFO Daniel Wayne Jackson sold 6,025 shares of Strategic Education stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $97.83, for a total value of $589,425.75. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 81,756 shares in the company, valued at $7,998,189.48. This represents a 6.86% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 40,826 shares of company stock valued at $3,945,093 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 3.30% of the company’s stock.

Strategic Education Company Profile

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.