Insider Selling: Strategic Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:STRA) CFO Sells 6,025 Shares of Stock

Strategic Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:STRA) CFO Daniel Wayne Jackson sold 6,025 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 value of $589,425.75. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 81,756 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,998,189.48. This trade represents a 6.86 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link.

Strategic Education Price Performance

Shares of STRA opened at $80.53 on Friday. Strategic Education, Inc. has a 12 month low of $78.62 and a 12 month high of $123.62. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $96.33 and its two-hundred day moving average is $94.75. The stock has a market cap of $1.98 billion, a PE ratio of 15.34, a P/E/G ratio of 1.22 and a beta of 0.59.

Strategic Education (NASDAQ:STRA) last released its quarterly earnings results 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). The company had revenue of $311.46 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $315.18 million. Strategic Education had a return on equity of 7.61% and a net margin of 10.44%. On average, research analysts anticipate that Strategic Education, Inc. will post 4.79 earnings per share for the current year.

Strategic Education Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 10th will be paid a $0.60 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 10th. This represents a $2.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.98%. Strategic Education’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 51.39%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Strategic Education

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. boosted its position in Strategic Education by 6.8% in the 4th quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 3,009 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $281,000 after buying an additional 191 shares during the last quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC boosted its holdings in 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 purchasing an additional 205 shares during the last quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in 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 purchasing an additional 218 shares during the last quarter. US Bancorp DE grew its stake in Strategic Education by 12.8% during the 3rd quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 1,938 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $179,000 after purchasing an additional 220 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of Montreal Can increased its holdings in Strategic Education by 7.5% during the 4th quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 3,542 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $331,000 after purchasing an additional 246 shares during the last quarter. 93.27% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

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.