Strategic Education (NASDAQ:STRA) Hits New 52-Week High at $121.72

Strategic Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:STRA) hit a new 52-week high on Monday . The company traded as high as $121.72 and last traded at $121.33, with a volume of 8818 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $120.65.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently commented on STRA. Barrington Research upped their price objective on shares of Strategic Education from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 25th. Bank of America increased their price target on Strategic Education from $104.00 to $124.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 5th. TheStreet upgraded Strategic Education from a “c+” rating to a “b” rating in a report on Thursday, February 29th. BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on Strategic Education from $123.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, April 29th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Strategic Education from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, April 26th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $133.50.

Strategic Education Stock Performance

The stock has a fifty day moving average of $104.15 and a 200-day moving average of $95.61. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.02 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.59, a P/E/G ratio of 1.23 and a beta of 0.45. The company has a quick ratio of 1.49, a current ratio of 1.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04.

Strategic Education (NASDAQ:STRA) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The health services provider reported $1.11 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.60 by $0.51. Strategic Education had a return on equity of 6.78% and a net margin of 8.70%. The firm had revenue of $290.25 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $274.02 million. On average, research analysts anticipate that Strategic Education, Inc. will post 5.01 EPS for the current year.

Strategic Education Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 3rd. Investors of record on Friday, May 24th will be given a $0.60 dividend. This represents a $2.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.95%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 23rd. Strategic Education’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 56.87%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CFO Daniel Wayne Jackson sold 3,713 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $95.95, for a total value of $356,262.35. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 71,770 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,886,331.50. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In other news, CFO Daniel Wayne Jackson sold 3,713 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $95.95, for a total transaction of $356,262.35. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 71,770 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,886,331.50. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Raymond Karl Mcdonnell sold 12,820 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $95.99, for a total value of $1,230,591.80. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 161,359 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $15,488,850.41. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 16,995 shares of company stock valued at $1,642,752 in the last three months. 3.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of STRA. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. increased its position in Strategic Education by 3.1% during the third quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. now owns 11,676 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $879,000 after buying an additional 349 shares during the last quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank raised its stake in Strategic Education by 30.9% in the 3rd quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 3,787 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $285,000 after acquiring an additional 894 shares during the period. TD Asset Management Inc lifted its holdings in Strategic Education by 11.3% during the 3rd quarter. TD Asset Management Inc now owns 31,626 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $2,380,000 after purchasing an additional 3,200 shares during the last quarter. Panagora Asset Management Inc. bought a new position in Strategic Education during the third quarter worth $278,000. Finally, Nisa Investment Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Strategic Education by 17.3% in the third quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 5,416 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $408,000 after purchasing an additional 800 shares during the last quarter. 93.27% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Strategic Education

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.