Wakefield Asset Management LLLP Takes $871,000 Position in Strategic Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:STRA)

Wakefield Asset Management LLLP bought a new position in Strategic Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:STRA) during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm bought 7,871 shares of the health services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $871,000.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System boosted its stake in shares of Strategic Education by 83.0% in the first quarter. State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System now owns 11,817 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $1,230,000 after purchasing an additional 5,358 shares during the period. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC acquired a new position in shares of Strategic Education in the 2nd quarter valued at about $1,357,000. Quadrature Capital Ltd acquired a new position in Strategic Education during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $738,000. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. increased its position in Strategic Education by 103.6% in the fourth quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 253,390 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $23,406,000 after buying an additional 128,961 shares during the period. Finally, Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Strategic Education during the fourth quarter valued at $272,000. 93.27% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

Strategic Education Stock Down 2.2 %

STRA stock opened at $92.25 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04, a current ratio of 1.57 and a quick ratio of 1.57. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.27 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.86, a P/E/G ratio of 1.06 and a beta of 0.56. Strategic Education, Inc. has a 52-week low of $74.43 and a 52-week high of $123.62. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $103.88 and its 200-day simple moving average is $106.55.

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

Strategic Education Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 6th will be paid a dividend of $0.60 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 6th. This represents a $2.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.60%. Strategic Education’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 56.87%.

Insider Activity at Strategic Education

In other Strategic Education news, Director Viet D. Dinh acquired 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $1,913,711.80. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 3.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.