Strategic Education (NASDAQ:STRA) Earns “Outperform” Rating from Barrington Research

Barrington Research reissued their outperform rating on shares of Strategic Education (NASDAQ:STRA) in a report issued on Thursday,Benzinga reports. They currently have a $135.00 price objective on the health services provider’s stock.

A number of other equities analysts have also commented on the stock. StockNews.com lowered shares of Strategic Education from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, October 5th. Truist Financial reduced their price objective on Strategic Education from $145.00 to $120.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets dropped their target price on shares of Strategic Education from $130.00 to $125.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, August 1st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $126.00.

Strategic Education Stock Performance

NASDAQ STRA traded up $1.40 during trading on Thursday, hitting $99.91. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 280,396 shares, compared to its average volume of 130,340. The company has a quick ratio of 1.57, a current ratio of 1.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04. Strategic Education has a 52 week low of $85.11 and a 52 week high of $123.62. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $90.67 and a 200 day moving average price of $103.07. The firm has a market cap of $2.46 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.23, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.38 and a beta of 0.57.

Strategic Education (NASDAQ:STRA) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The health services provider reported $1.16 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.81 by $0.35. The firm had revenue of $305.96 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $301.62 million. Strategic Education had a return on equity of 7.47% and a net margin of 9.84%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.97 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Strategic Education will post 4.65 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Strategic Education Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 9th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 2nd will be given a dividend of $0.60 per share. This represents a $2.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.40%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 2nd. Strategic Education’s dividend payout ratio is currently 49.28%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Strategic Education

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. lifted its position in shares of Strategic Education by 18.7% in the first quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 15,743 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $1,639,000 after buying an additional 2,477 shares during the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC grew its stake in Strategic Education by 78.3% in the 1st quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 7,396 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $770,000 after buying an additional 3,248 shares during the last quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund boosted its holdings in shares of Strategic Education by 1.3% during the first quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund now owns 12,984 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $1,352,000 after acquiring an additional 165 shares during the period. ProShare Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Strategic Education by 7.3% during the first quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 4,544 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $473,000 after purchasing an additional 309 shares during the period. Finally, State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System lifted its holdings in shares of Strategic Education by 83.0% during the first 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 buying an additional 5,358 shares in the last quarter. 93.27% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.