SG Americas Securities LLC Acquires 50,110 Shares of Strategic Education Inc. $STRA

SG Americas Securities LLC increased its holdings in Strategic Education Inc. (NASDAQ:STRA) by 438.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 61,531 shares of the health services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 50,110 shares during the quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC owned about 0.26% of Strategic Education worth $4,935,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its position in Strategic Education by 188.6% during the 2nd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 245,296 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $20,882,000 after purchasing an additional 160,303 shares during the period. Lightrock Netherlands B.V. boosted its stake in shares of Strategic Education by 155.7% during the 3rd quarter. Lightrock Netherlands B.V. now owns 234,719 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $20,188,000 after purchasing an additional 142,915 shares in the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Strategic Education by 115.4% during the 3rd quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 216,117 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $18,588,000 after purchasing an additional 115,801 shares in the last quarter. Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC purchased a new position in shares of Strategic Education during the second quarter valued at about $9,615,000. Finally, Cerity Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Strategic Education by 1,939.3% during the second quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 114,954 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $9,786,000 after buying an additional 109,317 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 93.27% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Strategic Education in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Wall Street Zen cut Strategic Education from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, March 28th. Zacks Research raised Strategic Education from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, March 2nd. Barrington Research restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $105.00 target price on shares of Strategic Education in a research note on Monday, January 26th. Finally, Truist Financial lowered Strategic Education from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and dropped their price target for the company from $95.00 to $85.00 in a research report on Tuesday, March 24th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have assigned a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Strategic Education currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $92.67.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Raymond Karl Mcdonnell sold 38,840 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $75.35, for a total transaction of $2,926,594.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 106,332 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,012,116.20. This trade represents a 26.75% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Chairman Robert S. Silberman acquired 718 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, March 13th. The shares were bought at an average price of $80.82 per share, with a total value of $58,028.76. Following the purchase, the chairman directly owned 319,870 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $25,851,893.40. The trade was a 0.22% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 62,420 shares of company stock worth $4,843,218 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 3.60% of the company’s stock.

Strategic Education Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ STRA opened at $83.19 on Thursday. Strategic Education Inc. has a 1 year low of $72.17 and a 1 year high of $93.45. The stock has a market cap of $1.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.35, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.79 and a beta of 0.56. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $80.81 and a 200 day moving average of $80.85.

Strategic Education (NASDAQ:STRA) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 26th. The health services provider reported $1.74 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.47 by $0.27. Strategic Education had a net margin of 9.98% and a return on equity of 8.75%. The business had revenue of $311.46 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $322.29 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.27 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 3.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts expect that Strategic Education Inc. will post 4.79 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Strategic Education Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 16th. Investors of record on Monday, March 9th were paid a $0.60 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 9th. This represents a $2.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.9%. Strategic Education’s dividend payout ratio is presently 44.28%.

Strategic Education Company Profile

Strategic Education, Inc is a publicly traded higher education services holding company headquartered in Herndon, Virginia. Through its primary operating subsidiaries, Strayer University and Capella University, the company delivers degree programs and professional development opportunities to working adults. Its offerings span undergraduate and graduate degrees, certificates, continuing education, and workforce training in fields such as business, technology, health services, education, and public administration.

Strayer University, with a network of physical campuses across the United States complemented by an online platform, provides associate’s through doctoral degrees designed to accommodate non-traditional students.