Insider Selling: Strategic Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:STRA) CEO Sells 31,855 Shares of Stock

Strategic Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:STRA) CEO Raymond Karl Mcdonnell sold 31,855 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $97.83, for a total value of $3,116,374.65. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 140,281 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $13,723,690.23. This trade represents a 18.51 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink.

Strategic Education Stock Up 0.9 %

Strategic Education stock opened at $80.53 on Friday. Strategic Education, Inc. has a 52 week low of $78.62 and a 52 week high of $123.62. The company has a market capitalization of $1.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.34, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.22 and a beta of 0.59. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $96.33 and a 200 day moving average price of $94.75.

Strategic Education (NASDAQ:STRA) last released 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 net margin of 10.44% and a return on equity of 7.61%. The business had revenue of $311.46 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $315.18 million. Research analysts anticipate that Strategic Education, Inc. will post 4.79 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Strategic Education Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new position in Strategic Education during the third quarter valued at $37,000. R Squared Ltd acquired a new position in Strategic Education during the fourth quarter valued at $42,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its position in Strategic Education by 394.8% during the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 480 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $44,000 after purchasing an additional 383 shares during the period. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC acquired a new position in Strategic Education during the third quarter valued at $55,000. Finally, Sterling Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Strategic Education by 809.1% during the fourth quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 700 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $65,000 after purchasing an additional 623 shares during the period. 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.