Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund Grows Stock Holdings in Strategic Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:STRA)

Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund raised its position in Strategic Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:STRA) by 8.7% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 12,913 shares of the health services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,032 shares during the quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund’s holdings in Strategic Education were worth $1,206,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC increased its position in shares of Strategic Education by 2.6% in the fourth quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 8,113 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $758,000 after acquiring an additional 205 shares during the period. HighTower Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Strategic Education by 9.8% in the third quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 2,448 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $228,000 after acquiring an additional 218 shares during the period. US Bancorp DE increased its position in shares of Strategic Education by 12.8% in the third quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 1,938 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $179,000 after acquiring an additional 220 shares during the period. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd increased its position in shares of Strategic Education by 4.2% in the third quarter. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd now owns 7,676 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $710,000 after acquiring an additional 306 shares during the period. Finally, Amalgamated Bank boosted its stake in shares of Strategic Education by 5.3% during the 3rd quarter. Amalgamated Bank now owns 7,086 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $656,000 after purchasing an additional 354 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.27% of the company’s stock.

Strategic Education Trading Up 0.9 %

Shares of STRA opened at $80.53 on Friday. Strategic Education, Inc. has a 1-year low of $78.62 and a 1-year high of $123.62. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $96.33 and its 200-day moving average price is $94.75. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.34, a PEG ratio of 1.22 and a beta of 0.59.

Strategic Education (NASDAQ:STRA) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 27th. The health services provider reported $1.27 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 for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $315.18 million. On average, research analysts forecast that Strategic Education, Inc. will post 4.79 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Strategic Education Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Monday, March 10th will be paid a dividend of $0.60 per share. This represents a $2.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.98%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 10th. Strategic Education’s payout ratio is currently 51.39%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on STRA shares. StockNews.com raised shares of Strategic Education from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Barrington Research cut their target price on shares of Strategic Education from $135.00 to $120.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $122.25.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Raymond Karl Mcdonnell sold 31,855 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $97.83, for a total transaction of $3,116,374.65. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 140,281 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $13,723,690.23. The trade was a 18.51 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CFO Daniel Wayne Jackson sold 6,025 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $97.83, for a total transaction of $589,425.75. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 81,756 shares in the company, valued at $7,998,189.48. The trade was a 6.86 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 3.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Strategic Education 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.