MSH Capital Advisors LLC Makes New $851,000 Investment in Strategic Education Inc. $STRA

MSH Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Strategic Education Inc. (NASDAQ:STRA) during the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 11,104 shares of the health services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $851,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in STRA. Allworth Financial LP raised its stake in Strategic Education by 88.5% in the third quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 294 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 138 shares during the last quarter. Axiom Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Strategic Education during the first quarter valued at about $25,000. Hantz Financial Services Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Strategic Education by 154.2% during the fourth quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 333 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 202 shares in the last quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. raised its position in shares of Strategic Education by 85.2% in the 2nd quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. now owns 387 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 178 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sankala Group LLC acquired a new stake in Strategic Education in the 4th quarter worth approximately $37,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.27% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Christa Hokenson sold 2,000 shares of Strategic Education stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $80.00, for a total value of $160,000.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 65,195 shares in the company, valued at $5,215,600. This trade represents a 2.98% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders own 3.60% of the company’s stock.

Strategic Education Stock Up 1.0%

Shares of STRA stock opened at $82.77 on Thursday. Strategic Education Inc. has a 52-week low of $69.70 and a 52-week high of $89.73. The stock has a market cap of $1.84 billion, a PE ratio of 13.79, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.76 and a beta of 0.49. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $79.80 and a 200-day simple moving average of $79.94.

Strategic Education (NASDAQ:STRA) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 29th. The health services provider reported $1.76 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.80 by ($0.04). Strategic Education had a return on equity of 8.98% and a net margin of 10.46%.The firm had revenue of $321.60 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $327.55 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.54 EPS. Strategic Education’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Strategic Education Inc. will post 7.23 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Strategic Education Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 14th. Investors of record on Friday, September 4th will be issued a $0.60 dividend. This represents a $2.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 4th. Strategic Education’s payout ratio is presently 40.00%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have issued reports on STRA. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Strategic Education from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, August 1st. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on Strategic Education from $86.00 to $91.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, July 6th. Truist Financial lifted their price target on Strategic Education from $80.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Strategic Education in a research note on Friday, July 17th. Finally, Barrington Research set a $105.00 price objective on Strategic Education in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $95.33.

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.