StockNews.com Lowers Strategic Education (NASDAQ:STRA) to Hold

Strategic Education (NASDAQ:STRA) was downgraded by StockNews.com from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a note issued to investors on Saturday.

Other analysts also recently issued research reports about the company. BMO Capital Markets decreased their target price on Strategic Education from $130.00 to $125.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, August 1st. Barrington Research reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $135.00 target price on shares of Strategic Education in a research report on Thursday, September 26th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $132.25.

Strategic Education Stock Up 0.6 %

Strategic Education stock opened at $88.73 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $2.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.03, a PEG ratio of 1.33 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 12 month low of $76.94 and a 12 month high of $123.62. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $95.93 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $105.40.

Strategic Education (NASDAQ:STRA) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, July 31st. The health services provider reported $1.33 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.19 by $0.14. Strategic Education had a net margin of 9.84% and a return on equity of 7.47%. The business had revenue of $312.30 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $308.16 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.82 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 8.6% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts predict that Strategic Education will post 4.65 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Viet D. Dinh bought 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, August 2nd. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $95.59 per share, for a total transaction of $477,950.00. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 20,020 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,913,711.80. The trade was a 0.00 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Insiders own 3.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Strategic Education

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. raised its holdings in Strategic Education by 103.6% in the fourth quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 253,390 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $23,406,000 after purchasing an additional 128,961 shares in the last quarter. Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Strategic Education during the second quarter worth $12,231,000. Renaissance Technologies LLC raised its stake in Strategic Education by 64.9% in the 2nd quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 251,778 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $27,862,000 after acquiring an additional 99,100 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its position in Strategic Education by 3.5% during the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,447,810 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $160,212,000 after acquiring an additional 48,462 shares during the period. Finally, Algert Global LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Strategic Education by 570.1% during the second quarter. Algert Global LLC now owns 55,991 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $6,196,000 after purchasing an additional 47,635 shares during the period. 93.27% of the stock is 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.