Wakefield Asset Management LLLP Increases Stock Holdings in Strategic Education Inc. $STRA

Wakefield Asset Management LLLP increased its holdings in shares of Strategic Education Inc. (NASDAQ:STRA) by 51.0% during the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 12,617 shares of the health services provider’s stock after buying an additional 4,260 shares during the period. Wakefield Asset Management LLLP owned about 0.05% of Strategic Education worth $1,074,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. MSH Capital Advisors LLC raised its stake in Strategic Education by 1.2% in the 2nd quarter. MSH Capital Advisors LLC now owns 11,314 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $963,000 after purchasing an additional 137 shares during the last quarter. Assetmark Inc. raised its stake in Strategic Education by 54.3% in the 2nd quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 395 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 139 shares during the last quarter. Significant Wealth Partners LLC raised its stake in Strategic Education by 7.0% in the 2nd quarter. Significant Wealth Partners LLC now owns 2,876 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $245,000 after purchasing an additional 187 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its stake in Strategic Education by 148.9% in the 2nd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 331 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 198 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Comerica Bank raised its stake in Strategic Education by 1.7% in the 1st quarter. Comerica Bank now owns 14,541 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $1,221,000 after purchasing an additional 248 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.27% of the company’s stock.

Strategic Education Stock Down 4.1%

Shares of STRA opened at $75.98 on Friday. Strategic Education Inc. has a 52-week low of $72.25 and a 52-week high of $104.51. The company has a market capitalization of $1.82 billion, a PE ratio of 15.80, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.92 and a beta of 0.67. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $82.17 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $82.70.

Strategic Education (NASDAQ:STRA) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, July 30th. The health services provider reported $1.52 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.42 by $0.10. Strategic Education had a return on equity of 7.52% and a net margin of 9.27%.The business had revenue of $321.47 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $322.84 million. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.33 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Strategic Education Inc. will post 4.79 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently commented on STRA. BMO Capital Markets reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Strategic Education in a research note on Monday, September 8th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Strategic Education in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Barrington Research reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $105.00 price objective on shares of Strategic Education in a research note on Tuesday, October 21st. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised Strategic Education from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, September 13th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Strategic Education presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $99.33.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CFO Daniel Wayne Jackson bought 1,900 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, August 29th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $81.50 per share, with a total value of $154,850.00. Following the purchase, the chief financial officer directly owned 104,136 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,487,084. The trade was a 1.86% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director G Thomas Waite III sold 700 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $81.69, for a total value of $57,183.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 15,926 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,300,994.94. This trade represents a 4.21% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 3.30% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.