Strategic Education (NASDAQ:STRA) Upgraded at StockNews.com

Strategic Education (NASDAQ:STRA) was upgraded by research analysts at StockNews.com from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a note issued to investors on Wednesday.

Separately, Barrington Research reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $135.00 price objective on shares of Strategic Education in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $122.25.

Strategic Education Trading Down 18.5 %

Shares of Strategic Education stock opened at $79.80 on Wednesday. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $96.58 and its 200 day moving average price is $94.83. Strategic Education has a twelve month low of $79.37 and a twelve month high of $123.62. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.20, a PEG ratio of 1.22 and a beta of 0.59.

Strategic Education (NASDAQ:STRA) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 27th. The health services provider reported $1.27 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.37 by ($0.10). The firm had revenue of $311.46 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $315.18 million. Strategic Education had a net margin of 10.44% and a return on equity of 7.61%. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Strategic Education will post 4.79 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Strategic Education news, CFO Daniel Wayne Jackson sold 6,025 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $97.83, for a total value of $589,425.75. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 81,756 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,998,189.48. This represents a 6.86 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Raymond Karl Mcdonnell sold 31,855 shares of Strategic Education stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $97.83, for a total value of $3,116,374.65. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 140,281 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,723,690.23. The trade was a 18.51 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 3.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new stake in Strategic Education during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $37,000. R Squared Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Strategic Education during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $42,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its position in shares of Strategic Education by 394.8% during the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 480 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $44,000 after buying an additional 383 shares in the last quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC bought a new stake in shares of Strategic Education in the third quarter worth $55,000. Finally, Sterling Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Strategic Education by 809.1% in the fourth quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 700 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $65,000 after acquiring an additional 623 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.27% of the company’s stock.

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.