American Century Companies Inc. Buys 6,180 Shares of Strategic Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:STRA)

American Century Companies Inc. boosted its stake in Strategic Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:STRA) by 19.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 37,874 shares of the health services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 6,180 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc.’s holdings in Strategic Education were worth $3,538,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in STRA. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Strategic Education by 6.8% in the 4th quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 3,009 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $281,000 after purchasing an additional 191 shares during the period. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC increased its position in Strategic Education by 2.6% in the fourth quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 8,113 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $758,000 after buying an additional 205 shares during the last quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC increased its position in Strategic Education by 9.8% in the third quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 2,448 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $228,000 after buying an additional 218 shares during the last quarter. Swiss National Bank raised its stake in shares of Strategic Education by 0.7% in the fourth quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 46,038 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $4,301,000 after buying an additional 300 shares during the period. Finally, Semanteon Capital Management LP lifted its position in shares of Strategic Education by 2.7% during the 4th quarter. Semanteon Capital Management LP now owns 12,771 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $1,193,000 after buying an additional 336 shares during the last quarter. 93.27% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Strategic Education

In related news, CFO Daniel Wayne Jackson sold 6,025 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 25th. The stock was 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 trade represents a 6.86 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Michael A. Mcrobbie bought 600 shares of Strategic Education stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 10th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $81.80 per share, with a total value of $49,080.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 6,135 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $501,843. This represents a 10.84 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 39,332 shares of company stock valued at $3,825,169 in the last three months. Company insiders own 3.30% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

Strategic Education Stock Performance

NASDAQ:STRA opened at $81.07 on Monday. The business’s fifty day moving average is $90.39 and its 200 day moving average is $92.49. The firm has a market cap of $2.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.44, a PEG ratio of 1.22 and a beta of 0.58. Strategic Education, Inc. has a 52-week low of $78.43 and a 52-week high of $123.62.

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

Strategic Education Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 10th were paid a $0.60 dividend. This represents a $2.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.96%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 10th. Strategic Education’s dividend payout ratio is presently 51.39%.

Strategic Education 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.