Swiss National Bank Has $4.30 Million Holdings in Strategic Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:STRA)

Swiss National Bank increased its position in shares of Strategic Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:STRA) by 0.7% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 46,038 shares of the health services provider’s stock after buying an additional 300 shares during the period. Swiss National Bank owned 0.19% of Strategic Education worth $4,301,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of STRA. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new stake in Strategic Education in the third quarter worth $37,000. R Squared Ltd bought a new position in shares of Strategic Education during the 4th quarter worth about $42,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Strategic Education by 394.8% in the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 480 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $44,000 after buying an additional 383 shares during the period. Pacer Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Strategic Education in the 4th quarter valued at about $96,000. Finally, KBC Group NV increased its position in Strategic Education by 53.3% in the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 1,044 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $98,000 after buying an additional 363 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.27% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Raymond Karl Mcdonnell sold 31,855 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 140,281 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,723,690.23. This represents a 18.51 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CFO Daniel Wayne Jackson sold 6,025 shares of the firm’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 completion of the sale, 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 ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 39,332 shares of company stock worth $3,825,169. 3.30% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

Strategic Education Price Performance

NASDAQ STRA opened at $83.23 on Wednesday. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $92.41 and a 200-day moving average price of $93.00. The firm has a market cap of $2.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.85, a PEG ratio of 1.22 and a beta of 0.59. Strategic Education, Inc. has a 1 year low of $78.43 and a 1 year high of $123.62.

Strategic Education (NASDAQ:STRA) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 27th. The health services provider reported $1.27 earnings per share (EPS) 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 firm had revenue of $311.46 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $315.18 million. On average, research analysts anticipate that Strategic Education, Inc. will post 4.79 EPS for the current fiscal 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 given a dividend of $0.60 per share. This represents a $2.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.88%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 10th. Strategic Education’s payout ratio is 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.