Beck Bode LLC Invests $1.03 Million in Strategic Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:STRA)

Beck Bode LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Strategic Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:STRA) during the second quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm purchased 9,286 shares of the health services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $1,028,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of STRA. State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System lifted its position in shares of Strategic Education by 83.0% in the 1st quarter. State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System now owns 11,817 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $1,230,000 after purchasing an additional 5,358 shares during the period. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC bought a new stake in Strategic Education during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $1,357,000. Quadrature Capital Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Strategic Education during the 1st quarter worth approximately $738,000. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Strategic Education by 103.6% in the 4th quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 253,390 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $23,406,000 after acquiring an additional 128,961 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Quest Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Strategic Education in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $601,000. Institutional investors own 93.27% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on STRA shares. BMO Capital Markets reduced their price target on Strategic Education from $130.00 to $125.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, August 1st. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Strategic Education from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 1st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $132.25.

Strategic Education Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:STRA opened at $93.70 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $2.31 billion, a PE ratio of 22.20, a PEG ratio of 1.04 and a beta of 0.56. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $101.96 and a 200-day moving average price of $106.53. Strategic Education, Inc. has a 1-year low of $74.43 and a 1-year high of $123.62. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04, a current ratio of 1.57 and a quick ratio of 1.57.

Strategic Education (NASDAQ:STRA) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 31st. The health services provider reported $1.33 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.19 by $0.14. Strategic Education had a net margin of 9.84% and a return on equity of 7.47%. The company had revenue of $312.30 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $308.16 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.82 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts expect that Strategic Education, Inc. will post 4.68 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Strategic Education Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 6th were issued a dividend of $0.60 per share. This represents a $2.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.56%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, September 6th. Strategic Education’s payout ratio is presently 56.87%.

Insider Transactions at Strategic Education

In related news, Director Viet D. Dinh bought 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, August 2nd. The stock was acquired at an average price of $95.59 per share, with a total value of $477,950.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 20,020 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,913,711.80. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 3.10% of the company’s stock.

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.