Strategic Education (NASDAQ:STRA) Stock Price Up 7.2% – Should You Buy?

Strategic Education Inc. (NASDAQ:STRA) was up 7.2% during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $82.72 and last traded at $84.19. 7,460 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 97% from the average daily volume of 282,077 shares. The stock had previously closed at $78.55.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

STRA has been the topic of several research reports. Zacks Research downgraded Strategic Education from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 2nd. Truist Financial cut their price target on Strategic Education from $85.00 to $80.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 27th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Strategic Education from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, June 24th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Strategic Education in a report on Friday, July 17th. Finally, Barrington Research cut their target price on shares of Strategic Education from $105.00 to $95.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 23rd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $88.67.

Strategic Education Trading Up 3.5%

The stock has a market cap of $1.90 billion, a PE ratio of 14.89, a P/E/G ratio of 0.73 and a beta of 0.50. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $78.66 and its 200-day moving average price is $80.12.

Strategic Education (NASDAQ:STRA) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The health services provider reported $1.76 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.80 by ($0.04). Strategic Education had a net margin of 10.21% and a return on equity of 8.78%. The firm had revenue of $337.26 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $327.55 million. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.54 earnings per share. Strategic Education’s revenue was up 4.9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts predict that Strategic Education Inc. will post 7.2 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Christa Hokenson sold 2,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $80.00, for a total transaction of $160,000.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 65,195 shares in the company, valued at $5,215,600. The trade was a 2.98% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 3.60% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Strategic Education

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC raised its position in shares of Strategic Education by 18.2% in the 2nd quarter. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC now owns 22,748 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $1,743,000 after purchasing an additional 3,500 shares during the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. grew its position in Strategic Education by 18.5% during the 1st quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 74,749 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $6,201,000 after purchasing an additional 11,671 shares during the last quarter. Axiom Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in Strategic Education during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC acquired a new position in Strategic Education during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $1,232,000. Finally, Wellington Grp LLC raised its holdings in shares of Strategic Education by 9.1% in the first quarter. Wellington Grp LLC now owns 6,657 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $552,000 after buying an additional 554 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.27% of the company’s stock.

Strategic Education Company 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.