Strategic Education (NASDAQ:STRA) Hits New 52-Week Low on Disappointing Earnings

Strategic Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:STRA) shares reached a new 52-week low during trading on Friday following a weaker than expected earnings announcement. The company traded as low as $79.37 and last traded at $79.80, with a volume of 319728 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $97.94.

The health services provider reported $1.27 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.37 by ($0.10). Strategic Education had a return on equity of 7.61% and a net margin of 10.44%. The firm had revenue of $311.46 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $315.18 million.

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 payout ratio is currently 51.39%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on STRA shares. Barrington Research reduced their price objective on shares of Strategic Education from $135.00 to $120.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Strategic Education from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Five analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat, Strategic Education currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $122.25.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Strategic Education 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 transaction of $3,116,374.65. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 140,281 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $13,723,690.23. The trade was a 18.51 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 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 transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 81,756 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,998,189.48. The trade was a 6.86 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 3.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of STRA. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new stake in shares of Strategic Education during the third quarter valued at $37,000. R Squared Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Strategic Education during the fourth quarter valued at $42,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Strategic Education by 394.8% during the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 480 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $44,000 after purchasing an additional 383 shares during the period. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Strategic Education during the third quarter valued at $55,000. Finally, Sterling Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Strategic Education by 809.1% during the fourth quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 700 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $65,000 after purchasing an additional 623 shares during the period. 93.27% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Strategic Education Stock Up 0.9 %

The stock has a market capitalization of $1.98 billion, a PE ratio of 15.34, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.22 and a beta of 0.59. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $96.33 and its 200-day moving average price is $94.74.

Strategic Education Company 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.