State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D Lowers Position in Strategic Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:STRA)

State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D decreased its position in shares of Strategic Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:STRA) by 8.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 27,753 shares of the health services provider’s stock after selling 2,608 shares during the period. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D owned about 0.11% of Strategic Education worth $2,564,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. SG Americas Securities LLC raised its holdings in Strategic Education by 320.0% in the third quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 13,155 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $990,000 after purchasing an additional 10,023 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. increased its stake in shares of Strategic Education by 3.1% in the 3rd quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. now owns 11,676 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $879,000 after acquiring an additional 349 shares in the last quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank boosted its stake in Strategic Education by 30.9% during the third quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 3,787 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $285,000 after acquiring an additional 894 shares in the last quarter. TD Asset Management Inc grew its holdings in Strategic Education by 11.3% in the third quarter. TD Asset Management Inc now owns 31,626 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $2,380,000 after purchasing an additional 3,200 shares during the period. Finally, Panagora Asset Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Strategic Education during the third quarter valued at approximately $278,000. Institutional investors own 93.27% of the company’s stock.

Strategic Education Trading Down 0.1 %

Strategic Education stock opened at $114.75 on Thursday. Strategic Education, Inc. has a one year low of $64.53 and a one year high of $121.29. The business’s fifty day moving average is $102.75 and its 200 day moving average is $94.86. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04, a current ratio of 1.49 and a quick ratio of 1.49. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.82 billion, a PE ratio of 27.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.31 and a beta of 0.45.

Strategic Education (NASDAQ:STRA) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The health services provider reported $1.11 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.60 by $0.51. The firm had revenue of $290.25 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $274.02 million. Strategic Education had a net margin of 8.70% and a return on equity of 6.78%. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Strategic Education, Inc. will post 4.83 EPS for the current year.

Strategic Education Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 3rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 24th will be issued a dividend of $0.60 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 23rd. This represents a $2.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.09%. Strategic Education’s payout ratio is 56.87%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Strategic Education news, Director Robert R. Grusky sold 462 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $120.99, for a total value of $55,897.38. Following the transaction, the director now owns 11,945 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,445,225.55. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other news, CFO Daniel Wayne Jackson sold 3,713 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on 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 sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 71,770 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,886,331.50. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Robert R. Grusky sold 462 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, April 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $120.99, for a total value of $55,897.38. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 11,945 shares in the company, valued at $1,445,225.55. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 16,995 shares of company stock valued at $1,642,752 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 3.10% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

STRA has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Bank of America boosted their price target on Strategic Education from $104.00 to $124.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 5th. Truist Financial increased their target price on Strategic Education from $125.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, April 26th. StockNews.com raised Strategic Education from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, April 26th. Barrington Research increased 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. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on shares of Strategic Education from $123.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday. Five analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $133.50.

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.