Pacer Advisors Inc. Makes New Investment in Strategic Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:STRA)

Pacer Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in Strategic Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:STRA) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm bought 1,027 shares of the health services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $96,000.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in STRA. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new position in Strategic Education during the third quarter valued at $37,000. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC bought a new position in shares of Strategic Education in the 3rd quarter worth about $55,000. KBC Group NV increased its stake in shares of Strategic Education by 53.3% in the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 1,044 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $98,000 after acquiring an additional 363 shares in the last quarter. CWM LLC lifted its position in Strategic Education by 332.1% during the 3rd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,426 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $132,000 after acquiring an additional 1,096 shares during the period. Finally, US Bancorp DE boosted its stake in Strategic Education by 12.8% during the third quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 1,938 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $179,000 after acquiring an additional 220 shares in the last quarter. 93.27% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Strategic Education Trading Up 2.5 %

STRA stock opened at $100.51 on Wednesday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $96.39 and its 200 day simple moving average is $95.51. Strategic Education, Inc. has a 12-month low of $85.11 and a 12-month high of $123.62. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.47 billion, a PE ratio of 19.14, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.16 and a beta of 0.59.

Strategic Education (NASDAQ:STRA) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The health services provider reported $1.16 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.81 by $0.35. Strategic Education had a return on equity of 7.61% and a net margin of 10.44%. The firm had revenue of $305.96 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $301.62 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.97 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 7.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts predict that Strategic Education, Inc. will post 4.79 earnings per share for the current year.

Strategic Education Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 9th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 2nd were paid a $0.60 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 2nd. This represents a $2.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.39%. Strategic Education’s dividend payout ratio is presently 45.71%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on STRA shares. Barrington Research reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $135.00 target price on shares of Strategic Education in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. Truist Financial lowered their price objective on Strategic Education from $145.00 to $120.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Strategic Education currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $126.00.

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.