Strategic Education (NASDAQ:STRA) Stock Rating Upgraded by Wall Street Zen

Strategic Education (NASDAQ:STRA) was upgraded by stock analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note issued on Tuesday.

A number of other equities research analysts have also issued reports on the company. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Strategic Education in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Barrington Research lowered their price objective on Strategic Education from $105.00 to $95.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 23rd. Zacks Research lowered Strategic Education from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 2nd. Truist Financial cut their target price on Strategic Education from $85.00 to $80.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 27th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lowered their price target on Strategic Education from $95.00 to $86.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 27th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $87.00.

Strategic Education Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:STRA opened at $74.03 on Tuesday. Strategic Education has a 1-year low of $69.70 and a 1-year high of $88.50. The company has a market capitalization of $1.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.08, a P/E/G ratio of 0.72 and a beta of 0.51. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $79.58 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $80.51.

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

Insider Activity at Strategic Education

In related news, General Counsel Lizette Benedi Herraiz sold 2,982 shares of the company’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 transaction, the general counsel directly owned 55,580 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,439,730.40. This represents a 5.09% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Michael Thawley acquired 665 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, April 24th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $72.71 per share, for a total transaction of $48,352.15. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director directly owned 12,154 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $883,717.34. This trade represents a 5.79% increase in their position. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. 3.60% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Strategic Education

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of STRA. Orion Porfolio Solutions LLC lifted its holdings in Strategic Education by 1.4% in the third quarter. Orion Porfolio Solutions LLC now owns 9,367 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $806,000 after acquiring an additional 129 shares during the period. ProShare Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Strategic Education by 3.0% during the 4th quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 4,538 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $364,000 after purchasing an additional 133 shares during the period. Allworth Financial LP increased its holdings in shares of Strategic Education by 88.5% during the 3rd quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 294 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 138 shares in the last quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Strategic Education by 85.2% during the 2nd quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. now owns 387 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 178 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Hantz Financial Services Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Strategic Education by 154.2% in the 4th quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 333 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 202 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.27% 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.