Strategic Education (NASDAQ:STRA) Stock Rating Lowered by StockNews.com

Strategic Education (NASDAQ:STRA) was downgraded by research analysts at StockNews.com from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Thursday.

Other equities research analysts have also issued research reports about the company. Barrington Research dropped their price target on Strategic Education from $135.00 to $120.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. BMO Capital Markets lowered their target price on shares of Strategic Education from $114.00 to $97.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Monday.

Strategic Education Stock Performance

Strategic Education stock opened at $82.29 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $2.02 billion, a PE ratio of 15.67, a P/E/G ratio of 1.22 and a beta of 0.59. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $95.86 and a 200-day moving average price of $94.55. Strategic Education has a fifty-two week low of $78.43 and a fifty-two week high of $123.62.

Strategic Education (NASDAQ:STRA) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 27th. The health services provider reported $1.27 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates 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 net margin of 10.44% and a return on equity of 7.61%. On average, analysts forecast that Strategic Education will post 4.79 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at Strategic Education

In other news, 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 owns 140,281 shares in the company, valued at $13,723,690.23. This represents a 18.51 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 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 transaction of $589,425.75. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 81,756 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,998,189.48. This trade represents a 6.86 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 3.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Strategic Education

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Strategic Education by 1.7% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 2,793,685 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $260,986,000 after buying an additional 45,421 shares during the last quarter. Marshfield Associates lifted its holdings in Strategic Education by 0.4% in the fourth quarter. Marshfield Associates now owns 1,836,491 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $171,565,000 after acquiring an additional 6,869 shares during the period. Burgundy Asset Management Ltd. boosted its position in Strategic Education by 1.7% in the 4th quarter. Burgundy Asset Management Ltd. now owns 1,258,680 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $117,586,000 after purchasing an additional 20,456 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp boosted its position in Strategic Education by 6.1% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 890,133 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $82,382,000 after purchasing an additional 50,980 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Van Lanschot Kempen Investment Management N.V. grew its stake in shares of Strategic Education by 12.9% during the 4th quarter. Van Lanschot Kempen Investment Management N.V. now owns 618,286 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $57,760,000 after purchasing an additional 70,743 shares during the period. 93.27% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.