HighTower Advisors LLC Raises Stock Position in Strategic Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:STRA)

HighTower Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Strategic Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:STRA) by 13.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,777 shares of the health services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 329 shares during the period. HighTower Advisors LLC’s holdings in Strategic Education were worth $259,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of STRA. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Strategic Education by 7.0% during the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 313,727 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $29,035,000 after purchasing an additional 20,389 shares during the last quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors raised its stake in Strategic Education by 10.5% in the third quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 4,405 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $408,000 after buying an additional 420 shares during the last quarter. Verition Fund Management LLC boosted its holdings in Strategic Education by 80.6% in the third quarter. Verition Fund Management LLC now owns 15,710 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $1,454,000 after acquiring an additional 7,012 shares in the last quarter. Paloma Partners Management Co acquired a new stake in Strategic Education in the third quarter worth about $639,000. Finally, Benjamin Edwards Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Strategic Education during the third quarter worth about $723,000. 93.27% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Strategic Education Trading Up 0.8 %

Shares of NASDAQ:STRA opened at $85.52 on Thursday. Strategic Education, Inc. has a twelve month low of $78.43 and a twelve month high of $123.62. The company’s 50 day moving average is $91.00 and its 200 day moving average is $92.67. The company has a market cap of $2.11 billion, a PE ratio of 16.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.22 and a beta of 0.59.

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

Strategic Education Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Monday, March 10th were issued a dividend of $0.60 per share. This represents a $2.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.81%. 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 stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $97.83, for a total transaction of $589,425.75. Following 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 position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Raymond Karl Mcdonnell sold 31,855 shares of the firm’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 $3,116,374.65. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 140,281 shares in the company, 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 ninety days, insiders sold 39,332 shares of company stock worth $3,825,169. 3.30% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

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.