Cerity Partners LLC Invests $473,000 in Strategic Education Inc. (NASDAQ:STRA)

Key Points

• Cerity Partners LLC acquired 5,637 shares of Strategic Education Inc. valued at approximately $473,000, marking a significant new investment in the education services provider.
• Strategic Education reported $1.30 EPS for the most recent quarter, surpassing analysts' expectations and reflecting a revenue increase of 4.6% year-over-year.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.60 per share, yielding 3.06%, with a payout ratio of 51.28% highlighting its commitment to returning value to shareholders.

Cerity Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Strategic Education Inc. (NASDAQ:STRA - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor acquired 5,637 shares of the health services provider's stock, valued at approximately $473,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its stake in Strategic Education by 2.6% in the first quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 127,684 shares of the health services provider's stock worth $10,720,000 after purchasing an additional 3,256 shares during the period. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. increased its stake in Strategic Education by 6.6% in the first quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 423,549 shares of the health services provider's stock worth $35,561,000 after purchasing an additional 26,284 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC bought a new position in shares of Strategic Education during the 1st quarter worth $727,000. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC bought a new position in shares of Strategic Education during the 4th quarter worth $821,000. Finally, NBC Securities Inc. grew its position in shares of Strategic Education by 105,000.0% during the 1st quarter. NBC Securities Inc. now owns 3,153 shares of the health services provider's stock worth $264,000 after buying an additional 3,150 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.27% of the company's stock.

Strategic Education Stock Performance

STRA stock traded up $0.72 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $79.62. 11,098 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 170,976. Strategic Education Inc. has a 12 month low of $74.28 and a 12 month high of $121.49. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $84.45 and a 200 day simple moving average of $86.96. The company has a market capitalization of $1.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.98, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.92 and a beta of 0.52.

Strategic Education Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 2nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 23rd were issued a $0.60 dividend. This represents a $2.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.01%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 23rd. Strategic Education's dividend payout ratio is presently 51.28%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Truist Financial set a $105.00 price target on Strategic Education in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on Strategic Education from $97.00 to $98.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, April 28th. Wall Street Zen raised Strategic Education from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Finally, Barrington Research reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $105.00 price target on shares of Strategic Education in a research report on Tuesday, July 22nd.

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.