Vanguard Group Inc. Increases Stake in Strategic Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:STRA)

Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in Strategic Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:STRA) by 1.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 2,793,685 shares of the health services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 45,421 shares during the quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. owned about 0.11% of Strategic Education worth $260,986,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its stake in shares of Strategic Education by 76.7% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 399,144 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $36,941,000 after buying an additional 173,225 shares during the period. Weiss Asset Management LP acquired a new position in Strategic Education in the third quarter valued at $5,635,000. State Street Corp grew its position in Strategic Education by 6.1% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 890,133 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $82,382,000 after acquiring an additional 50,980 shares during the period. Lightrock Netherlands B.V. acquired a new stake in Strategic Education during the fourth quarter worth about $4,625,000. Finally, Barclays PLC raised its holdings in shares of Strategic Education by 334.3% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 37,961 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $3,513,000 after purchasing an additional 29,220 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.27% of the company’s stock.

Strategic Education Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:STRA opened at $81.07 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $2.00 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.44, a PEG ratio of 1.22 and a beta of 0.58. Strategic Education, Inc. has a one year low of $78.43 and a one year high of $123.62. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $90.39 and its 200 day simple moving average is $92.50.

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

Strategic Education Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Monday, March 10th were paid a $0.60 dividend. This represents a $2.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.96%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 10th. Strategic Education’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 51.39%.

Insider Activity at Strategic Education

In other 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 sale, the chief financial officer now owns 81,756 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,998,189.48. This represents a 6.86 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 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 completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 140,281 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $13,723,690.23. This trade represents a 18.51 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 39,332 shares of company stock valued at $3,825,169. Insiders own 3.30% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on STRA. BMO Capital Markets decreased their target price on Strategic Education from $114.00 to $97.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Monday, March 3rd. Barrington Research decreased their price objective on shares of Strategic Education from $135.00 to $120.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded shares of Strategic Education from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 6th.

Strategic Education Company Profile

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.