Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC Lowers Holdings in Strategic Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:STRA)

Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC lowered its stake in Strategic Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:STRA - Free Report) by 89.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 8,130 shares of the health services provider's stock after selling 67,144 shares during the quarter. Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC's holdings in Strategic Education were worth $759,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in Strategic Education by 1.7% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 2,793,685 shares of the health services provider's stock worth $260,986,000 after acquiring an additional 45,421 shares during the period. Marshfield Associates boosted its holdings in Strategic Education by 0.4% in the 4th quarter. Marshfield Associates now owns 1,836,491 shares of the health services provider's stock worth $171,565,000 after buying an additional 6,869 shares during the period. Van Lanschot Kempen Investment Management N.V. increased its stake in Strategic Education by 12.9% in the 4th quarter. Van Lanschot Kempen Investment Management N.V. now owns 618,286 shares of the health services provider's stock worth $57,760,000 after buying an additional 70,743 shares in the last quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. raised its holdings in Strategic Education by 4.1% during the fourth quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 397,265 shares of the health services provider's stock valued at $37,113,000 after acquiring an additional 15,638 shares during the period. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in Strategic Education by 3.5% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 324,676 shares of the health services provider's stock valued at $30,331,000 after buying an additional 10,949 shares in the last quarter. 93.27% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have commented on the stock. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Strategic Education from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, April 25th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on Strategic Education from $97.00 to $98.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, April 28th. Barrington Research reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $120.00 price target on shares of Strategic Education in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. Finally, Truist Financial set a $105.00 price target on Strategic Education in a report on Thursday, April 24th.

Insider Transactions at Strategic Education

In other news, Director Robert R. Grusky sold 1,494 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, April 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $80.27, for a total transaction of $119,923.38. Following the transaction, the director now owns 11,349 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $910,984.23. This represents a 11.63% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Michael A. Mcrobbie purchased 600 shares of Strategic Education stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 10th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $81.80 per share, for a total transaction of $49,080.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 6,135 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $501,843. This trade represents a 10.84% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 40,826 shares of company stock worth $3,945,093. 3.30% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Strategic Education Stock Performance

STRA stock traded up $1.60 during trading on Friday, hitting $90.29. 163,211 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 155,918. Strategic Education, Inc. has a 52 week low of $74.28 and a 52 week high of $121.60. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.20, a P/E/G ratio of 1.22 and a beta of 0.52. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $82.48 and a 200 day simple moving average of $90.97.

Strategic Education (NASDAQ:STRA - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The health services provider reported $1.30 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.01 by $0.29. The firm had revenue of $303.59 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $300.67 million. Strategic Education had a net margin of 10.44% and a return on equity of 7.61%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.11 EPS. Research analysts forecast that Strategic Education, Inc. will post 4.79 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Strategic Education Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 2nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 23rd will be issued a $0.60 dividend. This represents a $2.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.66%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 23rd. Strategic Education's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 51.28%.

About Strategic Education

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.