Strategic Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:STRA) Short Interest Update

Strategic Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:STRA) was the recipient of a significant increase in short interest during the month of June. As of June 15th, there was short interest totalling 485,800 shares, an increase of 74.5% from the May 31st total of 278,400 shares. Approximately 2.0% of the shares of the company are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 143,200 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 3.4 days.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages recently commented on STRA. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on Strategic Education from $123.00 to $130.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, April 29th. Truist Financial raised their target price on Strategic Education from $125.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, April 26th. StockNews.com upgraded Strategic Education from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, April 26th. TheStreet upgraded Strategic Education from a “c+” rating to a “b” rating in a report on Thursday, February 29th. Finally, Barrington Research lifted their price objective on Strategic Education from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, April 25th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $133.50.

Strategic Education Trading Up 1.7 %

Shares of STRA traded up $1.86 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $110.66. 375,647 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 118,803. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $113.49 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $102.92. Strategic Education has a 52 week low of $64.53 and a 52 week high of $123.62. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.72 billion, a PE ratio of 25.78, a PEG ratio of 1.06 and a beta of 0.57. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04, a quick ratio of 1.49 and a current ratio of 1.49.

Strategic Education (NASDAQ:STRA) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 25th. The health services provider reported $1.11 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.60 by $0.51. The firm had revenue of $290.25 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $274.02 million. Strategic Education had a return on equity of 6.78% and a net margin of 8.70%. On average, analysts predict that Strategic Education will post 4.96 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Strategic Education Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 3rd. Investors of record on Friday, May 24th were issued a dividend of $0.60 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 23rd. This represents a $2.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.17%. Strategic Education’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 56.87%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Strategic Education

In related news, Director Robert R. Grusky sold 350 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $122.50, for a total value of $42,875.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 11,345 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,389,762.50. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other news, Director Robert R. Grusky sold 250 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $118.55, for a total value of $29,637.50. Following the transaction, the director now owns 11,695 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,386,442.25. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Robert R. Grusky sold 350 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $122.50, for a total value of $42,875.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 11,345 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,389,762.50. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 1,062 shares of company stock worth $128,410 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 3.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Strategic Education

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. HighTower Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Strategic Education in the third quarter valued at $371,000. Deutsche Bank AG grew its position in Strategic Education by 11.9% during the third quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 13,964 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $1,051,000 after buying an additional 1,485 shares in the last quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC purchased a new position in Strategic Education during the third quarter worth about $915,000. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. purchased a new position in Strategic Education during the third quarter worth about $234,000. Finally, Trexquant Investment LP purchased a new position in shares of Strategic Education in the 3rd quarter worth about $1,723,000. 93.27% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.