Envestnet Asset Management Inc. Buys 15,638 Shares of Strategic Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:STRA)

Envestnet Asset Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Strategic Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:STRA - Free Report) by 4.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 397,265 shares of the health services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 15,638 shares during the period. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. owned 1.62% of Strategic Education worth $37,113,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of STRA. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its stake in shares of Strategic Education by 76.7% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 399,144 shares of the health services provider's stock valued at $36,941,000 after purchasing an additional 173,225 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Strategic Education in the fourth quarter worth about $15,715,000. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership boosted its stake in shares of Strategic Education by 207.3% during the 4th quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 175,141 shares of the health services provider's stock worth $16,362,000 after acquiring an additional 118,151 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp increased its holdings in shares of Strategic Education by 6.1% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 890,133 shares of the health services provider's stock valued at $82,382,000 after acquiring an additional 50,980 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Lightrock Netherlands B.V. bought a new position in shares of Strategic Education in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $4,625,000. 93.27% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the company. BMO Capital Markets decreased their target price on Strategic Education from $114.00 to $97.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Strategic Education from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, March 6th. Finally, Barrington Research reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $120.00 target price on shares of Strategic Education in a report on Tuesday.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Raymond Karl Mcdonnell sold 31,855 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $97.83, for a total value of $3,116,374.65. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 140,281 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $13,723,690.23. This represents a 18.51 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, General Counsel Lizette Benedi Herraiz sold 1,452 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $82.21, for a total value of $119,368.92. Following the completion of the sale, the general counsel now owns 61,716 shares in the company, valued at $5,073,672.36. This trade represents a 2.30 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 39,332 shares of company stock worth $3,825,169 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 3.30% of the company's stock.

Strategic Education Stock Performance

Shares of STRA traded up $0.66 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $79.33. The company's stock had a trading volume of 31,512 shares, compared to its average volume of 150,984. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.96 billion, a PE ratio of 15.10, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.22 and a beta of 0.58. Strategic Education, Inc. has a one year low of $74.28 and a one year high of $123.62. The stock's 50-day moving average is $86.33 and its two-hundred day moving average is $91.52.

Strategic Education (NASDAQ:STRA - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 27th. The health services provider reported $1.27 earnings per share (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 company had revenue of $311.46 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $315.18 million. Analysts expect that Strategic Education, Inc. will post 4.79 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Strategic Education Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Monday, March 10th were paid a $0.60 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 10th. This represents a $2.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.03%. Strategic Education's payout ratio is 51.39%.

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.