Insider Selling: Strategic Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:STRA) General Counsel Sells 1,452 Shares of Stock

Strategic Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:STRA) General Counsel Lizette Benedi Herraiz sold 1,452 shares of Strategic Education stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $82.21, for a total value of $119,368.92. Following the sale, the general counsel now owns 61,716 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,073,672.36. This represents a 2.30 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link.

Strategic Education Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ STRA traded down $0.36 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $82.37. 214,391 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 131,237. Strategic Education, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $78.43 and a fifty-two week high of $123.62. The firm has a market cap of $2.02 billion, a PE ratio of 15.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.22 and a beta of 0.59. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $95.22 and a 200-day simple moving average of $94.27.

Strategic Education (NASDAQ:STRA) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 27th. The health services provider reported $1.27 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.37 by ($0.10). Strategic Education had a return on equity of 7.61% and a net margin of 10.44%. The business had revenue of $311.46 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $315.18 million. As a group, analysts predict that Strategic Education, Inc. will post 4.79 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Strategic Education Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 10th will be issued a dividend of $0.60 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 10th. This represents a $2.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.91%. Strategic Education’s dividend payout ratio is 51.39%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently weighed in on STRA. Barrington Research reduced their target price on Strategic Education from $135.00 to $120.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. BMO Capital Markets dropped their price objective on shares of Strategic Education from $114.00 to $97.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, March 3rd. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded Strategic Education from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Strategic Education

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Handelsbanken Fonder AB grew its position in Strategic Education by 17.8% during the fourth quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 5,960 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $557,000 after purchasing an additional 900 shares in the last quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans grew its holdings in shares of Strategic Education by 19.7% during the 3rd quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 43,755 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $4,050,000 after acquiring an additional 7,203 shares in the last quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC increased its stake in shares of Strategic Education by 1,337.4% in the fourth quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 8,495 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $794,000 after acquiring an additional 7,904 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its holdings in shares of Strategic Education by 76.7% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 399,144 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $36,941,000 after acquiring an additional 173,225 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its position in Strategic Education by 11.5% during the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 120,628 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $11,164,000 after purchasing an additional 12,437 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.27% of the company’s stock.

Strategic Education Company Profile

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.