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

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

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

Strategic Education Price Performance

Shares of STRA stock opened at $77.14 on Wednesday. Strategic Education has a one year low of $69.70 and a one year high of $88.50. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $78.70 and its 200-day moving average price is $80.40. The company has a market capitalization of $1.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.63, a PEG ratio of 0.71 and a beta of 0.51.

Strategic Education (NASDAQ:STRA) last issued its 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). The firm had revenue of $305.93 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $329.81 million. Strategic Education had a return on equity of 8.78% and a net margin of 10.21%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up .8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.30 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Strategic Education will post 7.2 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Michael Thawley bought 665 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, April 24th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $72.71 per share, for a total transaction of $48,352.15. Following the acquisition, the director owned 12,154 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $883,717.34. The trade was a 5.79% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Christa Hokenson sold 2,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $80.00, for a total transaction of $160,000.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 65,195 shares in the company, valued at $5,215,600. The trade was a 2.98% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders own 3.60% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Strategic Education

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

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.