Strategic Education (NASDAQ:STRA) Rating Increased to Buy at StockNews.com

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

Separately, BMO Capital Markets dropped their price objective on shares of Strategic Education from $130.00 to $125.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, August 1st. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $132.25.

Strategic Education Stock Down 0.4 %

STRA stock traded down $0.40 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $93.30. 180,186 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 124,324. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $101.69 and its 200 day moving average is $106.42. The firm has a market cap of $2.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.11, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.04 and a beta of 0.56. The company has a current ratio of 1.57, a quick ratio of 1.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04. Strategic Education has a twelve month low of $74.43 and a twelve month high of $123.62.

Strategic Education (NASDAQ:STRA) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, July 31st. The health services provider reported $1.33 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.19 by $0.14. Strategic Education had a return on equity of 7.47% and a net margin of 9.84%. The company had revenue of $312.30 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $308.16 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.82 earnings per share. Strategic Education’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts forecast that Strategic Education will post 4.68 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Strategic Education

In other news, Director Viet D. Dinh bought 5,000 shares of Strategic Education stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 2nd. The stock was purchased at an average price of $95.59 per share, for a total transaction of $477,950.00. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 20,020 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,913,711.80. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 3.10% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Strategic Education

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Meeder Asset Management Inc. bought a new position in Strategic Education during the second quarter valued at about $36,000. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Strategic Education during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $36,000. CWM LLC raised its holdings in shares of Strategic Education by 2,650.0% in the 2nd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 330 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 318 shares during the period. Rothschild Investment LLC purchased a new position in Strategic Education in the second quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Finally, Innealta Capital LLC purchased a new position in Strategic Education in the second quarter valued at approximately $38,000. 93.27% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.