Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund Acquires 1,032 Shares of Strategic Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:STRA)

Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund increased its holdings in Strategic Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:STRA) by 8.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 12,913 shares of the health services provider’s stock after buying an additional 1,032 shares during the period. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund owned 0.05% of Strategic Education worth $1,206,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new position in Strategic Education in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $37,000. R Squared Ltd bought a new position in Strategic Education in the 4th quarter valued at $42,000. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC bought a new position in Strategic Education in the 3rd quarter valued at $55,000. Pacer Advisors Inc. bought a new position in Strategic Education in the 4th quarter valued at $96,000. Finally, KBC Group NV boosted its holdings in Strategic Education by 53.3% in the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 1,044 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $98,000 after purchasing an additional 363 shares during the period. 93.27% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have commented on STRA. StockNews.com raised shares of Strategic Education from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday. Barrington Research cut their price target on shares of Strategic Education from $135.00 to $120.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $122.25.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Raymond Karl Mcdonnell sold 31,855 shares of Strategic Education stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $97.83, for a total value of $3,116,374.65. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 140,281 shares in the company, valued at $13,723,690.23. This trade represents a 18.51 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CFO Daniel Wayne Jackson sold 6,025 shares of Strategic Education stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $97.83, for a total transaction of $589,425.75. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 81,756 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,998,189.48. The trade was a 6.86 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 3.10% of the company’s stock.

Strategic Education Stock Performance

Strategic Education stock opened at $80.53 on Friday. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $96.33 and its 200-day moving average price is $94.75. The stock has a market cap of $1.98 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.34, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.22 and a beta of 0.59. Strategic Education, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $78.62 and a fifty-two week high of $123.62.

Strategic Education (NASDAQ:STRA) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 27th. The health services provider reported $1.27 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.37 by ($0.10). The company had revenue of $311.46 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $315.18 million. Strategic Education had a net margin of 10.44% and a return on equity of 7.61%. On average, analysts predict that Strategic Education, Inc. will post 4.79 earnings per share for the current year.

Strategic Education Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 10th will be given a dividend of $0.60 per share. This represents a $2.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.98%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 10th. Strategic Education’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 51.39%.

Strategic Education Profile

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.