Strategic Education’s (STRA) Outperform Rating Reiterated at Barrington Research

Barrington Research reissued their outperform rating on shares of Strategic Education (NASDAQ:STRA) in a report published on Friday morning,Benzinga reports. Barrington Research currently has a $105.00 target price on the health services provider’s stock.

Several other research analysts have also issued reports on STRA. BMO Capital Markets reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Strategic Education in a research report on Monday, September 8th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Strategic Education in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised Strategic Education from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, September 13th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $99.33.

Strategic Education Stock Up 0.8%

Shares of STRA stock traded up $0.59 on Friday, reaching $76.61. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 67,842 shares, compared to its average volume of 167,303. Strategic Education has a 12-month low of $72.25 and a 12-month high of $104.51. The company has a market capitalization of $1.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.86, a PEG ratio of 0.92 and a beta of 0.63. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $81.54 and its 200-day simple moving average is $82.59.

Strategic Education (NASDAQ:STRA) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, November 6th. The health services provider reported $1.63 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.30 by $0.33. The business had revenue of $319.95 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $315.40 million. Strategic Education had a return on equity of 7.52% and a net margin of 9.27%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up 4.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.16 EPS. Research analysts expect that Strategic Education will post 4.79 EPS for the current year.

Strategic Education Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 8th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 1st will be paid a dividend of $0.60 per share. This represents a $2.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 1st. Strategic Education’s dividend payout ratio is 49.90%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director G Thomas Waite III sold 700 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $81.69, for a total transaction of $57,183.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 15,926 shares in the company, valued at $1,300,994.94. The trade was a 4.21% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CFO Daniel Wayne Jackson acquired 1,900 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 29th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $81.50 per share, for a total transaction of $154,850.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 104,136 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,487,084. The trade was a 1.86% increase in their position. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. 3.30% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Strategic Education

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its position in Strategic Education by 2.6% during the 1st quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 127,684 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $10,720,000 after acquiring an additional 3,256 shares in the last quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Strategic Education by 6.6% in the 1st quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 423,549 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $35,561,000 after purchasing an additional 26,284 shares during the period. Banque Pictet & Cie SA bought a new stake in shares of Strategic Education during the first quarter valued at approximately $460,000. Cerity Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Strategic Education in the first quarter worth $473,000. Finally, Edgestream Partners L.P. bought a new position in Strategic Education in the first quarter worth $1,422,000. 93.27% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.