Strategic Education (NASDAQ:STRA) Upgraded by Truist Financial to “Buy”

Truist Financial upgraded shares of Strategic Education (NASDAQ:STRA) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report released on Wednesday morning, Marketbeat.com reports. The brokerage currently has $125.00 price objective on the health services provider’s stock, up from their previous price objective of $110.00.

A number of other research firms also recently weighed in on STRA. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Strategic Education from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 9th. Bank of America increased their price target on shares of Strategic Education from $104.00 to $124.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 5th. Barrington Research reissued an outperform rating and issued a $125.00 price objective on shares of Strategic Education in a research report on Tuesday, April 9th. BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on shares of Strategic Education from $103.00 to $123.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research report on Friday, March 1st. Finally, TheStreet raised shares of Strategic Education from a c+ rating to a b rating in a research report on Thursday, February 29th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Strategic Education presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $124.25.

Strategic Education Stock Performance

NASDAQ:STRA opened at $98.07 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.57, a current ratio of 1.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04. The company has a market cap of $2.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.82, a P/E/G ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 0.50. Strategic Education has a fifty-two week low of $64.53 and a fifty-two week high of $111.95. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $100.79 and its two-hundred day moving average is $92.97.

Strategic Education (NASDAQ:STRA) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 29th. The health services provider reported $1.68 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.34 by $0.34. The company had revenue of $302.70 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $297.48 million. Strategic Education had a net margin of 6.16% and a return on equity of 5.52%. Strategic Education’s revenue was up 12.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.78 earnings per share. Analysts expect that Strategic Education will post 4.6 EPS for the current year.

Strategic Education Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 18th. Investors of record on Monday, March 11th were issued a dividend of $0.60 per share. This represents a $2.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.45%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 8th. Strategic Education’s payout ratio is 82.76%.

Insider Activity at Strategic Education

In related news, CEO Raymond Karl Mcdonnell sold 12,820 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $95.99, for a total transaction of $1,230,591.80. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 161,359 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $15,488,850.41. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In related news, CFO Daniel Wayne Jackson sold 3,713 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $95.95, for a total transaction of $356,262.35. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 71,770 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,886,331.50. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Raymond Karl Mcdonnell sold 12,820 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $95.99, for a total transaction of $1,230,591.80. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 161,359 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $15,488,850.41. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 3.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Rice Hall James & Associates LLC lifted its position in shares of Strategic Education by 3.2% in the 1st quarter. Rice Hall James & Associates LLC now owns 276,273 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $18,339,000 after buying an additional 8,438 shares during the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its position in Strategic Education by 3.1% in the 1st quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 420,922 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $27,940,000 after purchasing an additional 12,646 shares during the last quarter. US Bancorp DE lifted its position in Strategic Education by 585.2% in the 1st quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 1,295 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $86,000 after purchasing an additional 1,106 shares during the last quarter. Citigroup Inc. raised its position in shares of Strategic Education by 9.7% during the 1st quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 19,819 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $1,316,000 after buying an additional 1,746 shares in the last quarter. Finally, PNC Financial Services Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Strategic Education by 16.0% during the 1st quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 1,441 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $95,000 after buying an additional 199 shares in the last quarter. 93.27% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.