Strategic Education Inc. $STRA Stock Holdings Increased by Lightrock Netherlands B.V.

Lightrock Netherlands B.V. lifted its stake in shares of Strategic Education Inc. (NASDAQ:STRA) by 4.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 244,219 shares of the health services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 9,500 shares during the quarter. Strategic Education accounts for about 2.0% of Lightrock Netherlands B.V.’s portfolio, making the stock its 10th largest position. Lightrock Netherlands B.V. owned 1.04% of Strategic Education worth $19,586,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of STRA. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. increased its position in shares of Strategic Education by 3.1% during the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 16,195 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $1,360,000 after acquiring an additional 487 shares during the period. Jane Street Group LLC grew its stake in shares of Strategic Education by 40.2% during the first quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 43,433 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $3,647,000 after purchasing an additional 12,444 shares in the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Strategic Education by 192.7% during the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,162 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $99,000 after purchasing an additional 765 shares in the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP grew its stake in shares of Strategic Education by 20.0% during the second quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 24,657 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $2,099,000 after purchasing an additional 4,118 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Jump Financial LLC acquired a new position in shares of Strategic Education during the second quarter worth $246,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.27% of the company’s stock.

Strategic Education Price Performance

Shares of STRA opened at $80.42 on Thursday. Strategic Education Inc. has a 1-year low of $72.17 and a 1-year high of $93.45. The stock has a market cap of $1.82 billion, a PE ratio of 14.84, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.76 and a beta of 0.53. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $80.39 and a 200 day moving average price of $80.79.

Strategic Education (NASDAQ:STRA) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 26th. The health services provider reported $1.74 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.47 by $0.27. The firm had revenue of $311.46 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $322.29 million. Strategic Education had a net margin of 9.98% and a return on equity of 8.75%. Strategic Education’s quarterly revenue was up 3.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.27 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts expect that Strategic Education Inc. will post 4.79 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Strategic Education Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 16th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 9th were paid a $0.60 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 9th. This represents a $2.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.0%. Strategic Education’s payout ratio is currently 44.28%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

STRA has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Strategic Education in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Strategic Education from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. Barrington Research reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $105.00 target price on shares of Strategic Education in a research note on Monday, January 26th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Strategic Education from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, March 28th. Finally, Truist Financial downgraded shares of Strategic Education from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and lowered their target price for the stock from $95.00 to $85.00 in a research note on Tuesday, March 24th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have given a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Strategic Education currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $92.67.

Insider Buying and Selling at Strategic Education

In other Strategic Education news, CFO Daniel Wayne Jackson sold 13,000 shares of Strategic Education stock in a transaction on Monday, March 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $82.37, for a total value of $1,070,810.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 100,096 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,244,907.52. The trade was a 11.49% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Raymond Karl Mcdonnell sold 38,840 shares of Strategic Education stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $75.35, for a total transaction of $2,926,594.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 106,332 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,012,116.20. This represents a 26.75% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last three months, insiders have sold 62,420 shares of company stock valued at $4,843,218. Company insiders own 3.60% of the company’s stock.

About Strategic Education

Strategic Education, Inc is a publicly traded higher education services holding company headquartered in Herndon, Virginia. Through its primary operating subsidiaries, Strayer University and Capella University, the company delivers degree programs and professional development opportunities to working adults. Its offerings span undergraduate and graduate degrees, certificates, continuing education, and workforce training in fields such as business, technology, health services, education, and public administration.

Strayer University, with a network of physical campuses across the United States complemented by an online platform, provides associate’s through doctoral degrees designed to accommodate non-traditional students.