Meeder Asset Management Inc. Buys Shares of 7,024 Strategic Education Inc. $STRA

Meeder Asset Management Inc. bought a new position in Strategic Education Inc. (NASDAQ:STRA) in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 7,024 shares of the health services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $538,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the business. Axiom Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in Strategic Education during the first quarter valued at $25,000. Allworth Financial LP boosted its position in Strategic Education by 88.5% during the 3rd quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 294 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 138 shares during the period. Hantz Financial Services Inc. grew its stake in Strategic Education by 154.2% during the 4th quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 333 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 202 shares in the last quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Strategic Education by 85.2% in the 2nd quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. now owns 387 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 178 shares during the period. Finally, Sankala Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Strategic Education in the fourth quarter worth approximately $37,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.27% of the company’s stock.

Strategic Education Price Performance

Strategic Education stock opened at $81.96 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $1.82 billion, a PE ratio of 13.66, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.76 and a beta of 0.49. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $79.77 and a 200 day simple moving average of $79.96. Strategic Education Inc. has a one year low of $69.70 and a one year high of $89.73.

Strategic Education (NASDAQ:STRA) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The health services provider reported $1.76 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.80 by ($0.04). The firm had revenue of $321.60 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $327.55 million. Strategic Education had a net margin of 10.46% and a return on equity of 8.98%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.54 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Strategic Education Inc. will post 7.23 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Strategic Education Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 14th. Investors of record on Friday, September 4th will be given a dividend of $0.60 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 4th. This represents a $2.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.9%. Strategic Education’s dividend payout ratio is 40.00%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently commented on STRA. BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on shares of Strategic Education from $86.00 to $91.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, July 6th. Truist Financial upped their price objective on shares of Strategic Education from $80.00 to $90.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Strategic Education in a research note on Friday, July 17th. Barrington Research set a $105.00 price target on shares of Strategic Education in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of Strategic Education from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, August 1st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $95.33.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Strategic Education news, insider Christa Hokenson sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $80.00, for a total transaction of $160,000.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 65,195 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,215,600. This represents a 2.98% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 3.60% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Strategic Education Profile

Strategic Education, Inc is a publicly traded higher education services holding company headquartered in Herndon, Virginia. Through its primary operating subsidiaries, Strayer University and Capella University, the company delivers degree programs and professional development opportunities to working adults. Its offerings span undergraduate and graduate degrees, certificates, continuing education, and workforce training in fields such as business, technology, health services, education, and public administration.

Strayer University, with a network of physical campuses across the United States complemented by an online platform, provides associate’s through doctoral degrees designed to accommodate non-traditional students.