Legal & General Group Plc Purchases Shares of 52,828 Strategic Education Inc. $STRA

Legal & General Group Plc acquired a new position in Strategic Education Inc. (NASDAQ:STRA) in the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund acquired 52,828 shares of the health services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $4,048,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in STRA. Orion Porfolio Solutions LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Strategic Education by 1.4% during the 3rd quarter. Orion Porfolio Solutions LLC now owns 9,367 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $806,000 after acquiring an additional 129 shares during the period. ProShare Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Strategic Education by 3.0% during the 4th quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 4,538 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $364,000 after buying an additional 133 shares during the period. Allworth Financial LP boosted its stake in shares of Strategic Education by 88.5% in the 3rd quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 294 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 138 shares in the last quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. increased its position in shares of Strategic Education by 85.2% during the 2nd quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. now owns 387 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 178 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Hantz Financial Services Inc. lifted its holdings 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 purchasing an additional 202 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.27% of the company’s stock.

Strategic Education Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ STRA opened at $81.59 on Friday. Strategic Education Inc. has a 52-week low of $69.70 and a 52-week high of $89.73. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $81.49 and a 200 day moving average price of $80.24. The stock has a market cap of $1.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.60, a P/E/G ratio of 0.76 and a beta of 0.49.

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

Strategic Education Dividend Announcement

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

About Strategic Education

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.