AlphaQuest LLC Acquires 8,889 Shares of Strategic Education Inc. $STRA

AlphaQuest LLC boosted its stake in shares of Strategic Education Inc. (NASDAQ:STRA) by 54.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 25,202 shares of the health services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 8,889 shares during the quarter. AlphaQuest LLC’s holdings in Strategic Education were worth $2,021,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in STRA. Allworth Financial LP boosted its stake in Strategic Education by 88.5% in the third quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 294 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 138 shares in the last quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. boosted its holdings in Strategic Education by 154.2% in the fourth quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 333 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 202 shares in the last quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. boosted its holdings in Strategic Education by 85.2% in the second quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. now owns 387 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 178 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its holdings in Strategic Education by 281.6% in the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 725 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $58,000 after acquiring an additional 535 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board acquired a new stake in shares of Strategic Education during the second quarter worth $94,000. Institutional investors own 93.27% of the company’s stock.

Strategic Education Stock Performance

Strategic Education stock opened at $77.83 on Wednesday. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $80.44 and its 200 day moving average price is $80.42. Strategic Education Inc. has a 1 year low of $69.70 and a 1 year high of $93.45. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.75, a P/E/G ratio of 0.73 and a beta of 0.52.

Strategic Education (NASDAQ:STRA) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 23rd. The health services provider reported $1.42 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.51 by ($0.09). Strategic Education had a return on equity of 8.78% and a net margin of 10.21%.The company had revenue of $305.93 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $329.81 million. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.30 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up .8% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts predict that Strategic Education Inc. will post 7.2 EPS for the current year.

Strategic Education Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 22nd will be issued a $0.60 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 22nd. This represents a $2.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.1%. Strategic Education’s dividend payout ratio is presently 42.40%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on STRA shares. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Strategic Education in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Zacks Research raised Strategic Education from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, March 2nd. Wall Street Zen downgraded Strategic Education from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday. BMO Capital Markets decreased their target price on shares of Strategic Education from $95.00 to $86.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 27th. Finally, Truist Financial decreased their target price on shares of Strategic Education from $85.00 to $80.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 27th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have issued a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $87.00.

Insider Buying and Selling at Strategic Education

In other Strategic Education news, CFO Daniel Wayne Jackson sold 13,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $82.37, for a total value of $1,070,810.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 100,096 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,244,907.52. This trade represents a 11.49% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, General Counsel Lizette Benedi Herraiz sold 2,982 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $79.88, for a total value of $238,202.16. Following the completion of the sale, the general counsel directly owned 55,580 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,439,730.40. This trade represents a 5.09% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 23,580 shares of company stock worth $1,916,624 in the last quarter. Insiders own 3.60% of the company’s stock.

About Strategic Education

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.