Stride (NYSE:LRN) Stock: Insider Brian Shepherd Purchases 10,000 Shares

Stride, Inc. (NYSE:LRN) Director Brian Shepherd acquired 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 3rd. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $74.95 per share, for a total transaction of $749,500.00. Following the acquisition, the director owned 23,094 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,730,895.30. The trade was a 76.37% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website.

Stride Stock Performance

NYSE LRN traded up $4.18 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $79.23. 1,357,748 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 940,545. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $81.08 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $85.81. The company has a current ratio of 2.56, a quick ratio of 2.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.93, a P/E/G ratio of 0.42 and a beta of 0.16. Stride, Inc. has a 52 week low of $60.61 and a 52 week high of $103.67.

Stride (NYSE:LRN) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, October 20th. The company reported $1.37 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.07 by $0.30. Stride had a net margin of 13.18% and a return on equity of 22.06%. The business had revenue of $639.38 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $612.25 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.40 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 3.0% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts predict that Stride, Inc. will post 9.04 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

LRN has been the subject of several analyst reports. Zacks Research upgraded Stride from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 28th. William Blair cut Stride from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Barrington Research lowered their target price on Stride from $125.00 to $115.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 23rd. Weiss Ratings raised Stride from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Friday, October 16th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reduced their price target on Stride from $93.00 to $90.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, October 5th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have given a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $106.25.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Stride

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Jupiter Topco LLC bought a new stake in Stride in the 2nd quarter valued at $199,715,000. Janus Henderson Group PLC lifted its holdings in shares of Stride by 61.0% in the 1st quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 2,277,279 shares of the company’s stock valued at $200,799,000 after acquiring an additional 862,849 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its holdings in shares of Stride by 5.5% in the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,750,646 shares of the company’s stock valued at $154,339,000 after acquiring an additional 90,851 shares during the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its position in Stride by 40.8% in the first quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,034,047 shares of the company’s stock worth $91,172,000 after acquiring an additional 299,756 shares in the last quarter. Finally, William Blair Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in Stride in the second quarter worth about $71,036,000. Institutional investors own 98.24% of the company’s stock.

About Stride

Stride, Inc is an education technology company that provides online and blended learning programs for K-12 students. The company partners with public school districts, charter schools and other education organizations to deliver digital curricula, instructional software, teaching support and student services. Its offerings are designed to support full-time virtual schools, supplemental courses and traditional schools incorporating online learning.

Stride also provides career-focused education through programs that combine academic instruction with career exploration, technical training and industry-aligned learning opportunities.