Wakefield Asset Management LLLP Buys New Stake in Strategic Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:STRA)

Wakefield Asset Management LLLP purchased a new position in shares of Strategic Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:STRA) in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm purchased 7,871 shares of the health services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $871,000.

Other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Arizona State Retirement System boosted its stake in Strategic Education by 2.6% in the 2nd quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 6,199 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $686,000 after buying an additional 160 shares in the last quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund increased its position in shares of Strategic Education by 1.3% during the 1st quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund now owns 12,984 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $1,352,000 after purchasing an additional 165 shares in the last quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System lifted its holdings in Strategic Education by 1.9% during the 2nd quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System now owns 11,000 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $1,217,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. SkyView Investment Advisors LLC boosted its position in Strategic Education by 3.2% in the first quarter. SkyView Investment Advisors LLC now owns 7,651 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $797,000 after buying an additional 236 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Covestor Ltd grew its position in Strategic Education by 32.8% during the 1st quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 984 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $103,000 after acquiring an additional 243 shares during the last quarter. 93.27% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Strategic Education

In other news, Director Viet D. Dinh bought 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, August 2nd. The shares were purchased at an average price of $95.59 per share, for a total transaction of $477,950.00. Following the purchase, the director now owns 20,020 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,913,711.80. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 3.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

STRA has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. StockNews.com cut Strategic Education from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, August 1st. BMO Capital Markets reduced their target price 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. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $132.25.

Strategic Education Stock Performance

STRA stock opened at $92.25 on Friday. Strategic Education, Inc. has a twelve month low of $74.43 and a twelve month high of $123.62. The company has a quick ratio of 1.57, a current ratio of 1.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04. The company has a market cap of $2.27 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.06 and a beta of 0.56. The business’s fifty day moving average is $103.88 and its 200-day moving average is $106.55.

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

Strategic Education Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 16th. Investors of record on Friday, September 6th will be issued a dividend of $0.60 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 6th. This represents a $2.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.60%. Strategic Education’s payout ratio is 56.87%.

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.