Strategic Education (NASDAQ:STRA) Price Target Increased to $145.00 by Analysts at Truist Financial

Strategic Education (NASDAQ:STRA) had its price target increased by Truist Financial from $125.00 to $145.00 in a research report sent to investors on Friday morning, Benzinga reports. They currently have a buy rating on the health services provider’s stock.

A number of other analysts have also commented on STRA. Barrington Research lifted their price objective on Strategic Education from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research report on Thursday. Bank of America boosted their price target on shares of Strategic Education from $104.00 to $124.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 5th. StockNews.com cut shares of Strategic Education from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 9th. TheStreet upgraded Strategic Education from a c+ rating to a b rating in a research report on Thursday, February 29th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on shares of Strategic Education from $103.00 to $123.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research report on Friday, March 1st. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of Buy and a consensus target price of $131.75.

Strategic Education Stock Performance

Shares of Strategic Education stock opened at $121.06 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04, a current ratio of 1.49 and a quick ratio of 1.57. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $101.89 and a 200 day simple moving average of $94.19. Strategic Education has a fifty-two week low of $64.53 and a fifty-two week high of $121.29. The firm has a market cap of $2.98 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.69, a P/E/G ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 0.50.

Strategic Education (NASDAQ:STRA) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 25th. The health services provider reported $1.11 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.60 by $0.51. The firm had revenue of $290.25 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $274.02 million. Strategic Education had a return on equity of 6.78% and a net margin of 8.70%. Sell-side analysts predict that Strategic Education will post 4.61 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Strategic Education Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 3rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 24th will be issued a dividend of $0.60 per share. This represents a $2.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.98%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 23rd. Strategic Education’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 56.87%.

Insider Activity at Strategic Education

In other Strategic Education news, CEO Raymond Karl Mcdonnell sold 12,820 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $95.99, for a total transaction of $1,230,591.80. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 161,359 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $15,488,850.41. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. In related news, CFO Daniel Wayne Jackson sold 3,713 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $95.95, for a total transaction of $356,262.35. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 71,770 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,886,331.50. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Raymond Karl Mcdonnell sold 12,820 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $95.99, for a total value of $1,230,591.80. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 161,359 shares in the company, valued at approximately $15,488,850.41. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 3.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Strategic Education

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Russell Investments Group Ltd. bought a new position in Strategic Education during the 4th quarter worth approximately $73,000. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC raised its stake in Strategic Education by 27.8% during the third quarter. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC now owns 1,084 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $82,000 after buying an additional 236 shares during the last quarter. TFO Wealth Partners LLC lifted its holdings in Strategic Education by 118,000.0% in the fourth quarter. TFO Wealth Partners LLC now owns 1,181 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $109,000 after buying an additional 1,180 shares during the period. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. bought a new stake in Strategic Education during the third quarter valued at $234,000. Finally, Everence Capital Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Strategic Education during the 4th quarter worth about $236,000. 93.27% of the stock is currently owned by 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.