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

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

Separately, Barrington Research reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $135.00 target price on shares of Strategic Education in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Strategic Education presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $122.25.

Strategic Education Price Performance

Strategic Education stock opened at $79.80 on Wednesday. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $96.58 and its 200 day moving average price is $94.83. The company has a market cap of $1.96 billion, a PE ratio of 15.20, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.22 and a beta of 0.59. Strategic Education has a 1-year low of $79.37 and a 1-year high of $123.62.

Strategic Education (NASDAQ:STRA) last posted its quarterly 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 return on equity of 7.61% and a net margin of 10.44%. The company had revenue of $311.46 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $315.18 million. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Strategic Education will post 4.79 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CFO Daniel Wayne Jackson sold 6,025 shares of the company’s 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 directly owns 81,756 shares in the company, valued at $7,998,189.48. This represents a 6.86 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Raymond Karl Mcdonnell sold 31,855 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 25th. The shares were 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 position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 3.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new position in shares of Strategic Education in the third quarter valued at approximately $37,000. R Squared Ltd acquired a new stake in Strategic Education during the fourth quarter worth approximately $42,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its stake in Strategic Education by 394.8% in the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 480 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $44,000 after acquiring an additional 383 shares during the period. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC acquired a new position in Strategic Education in the 3rd quarter valued at $55,000. Finally, Sterling Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Strategic Education by 809.1% in the 4th 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 during the last quarter. 93.27% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.