SG Americas Securities LLC Makes New $727,000 Investment in Strategic Education Inc. (NASDAQ:STRA)

SG Americas Securities LLC bought a new position in shares of Strategic Education Inc. (NASDAQ:STRA - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 8,653 shares of the health services provider's stock, valued at approximately $727,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Strategic Education by 394.8% during the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 480 shares of the health services provider's stock worth $44,000 after buying an additional 383 shares during the period. Sterling Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Strategic Education by 809.1% during the 4th quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 700 shares of the health services provider's stock worth $65,000 after acquiring an additional 623 shares during the last quarter. Covestor Ltd boosted its holdings in Strategic Education by 44.0% during the fourth quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 1,431 shares of the health services provider's stock valued at $134,000 after acquiring an additional 437 shares during the period. CIBC Asset Management Inc bought a new stake in Strategic Education during the fourth quarter valued at about $222,000. Finally, HighTower Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Strategic Education by 13.4% in the fourth quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 2,777 shares of the health services provider's stock valued at $259,000 after purchasing an additional 329 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.27% of the company's stock.

Strategic Education Price Performance

Shares of STRA traded down $0.47 on Tuesday, reaching $86.57. 176,191 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 156,068. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $85.76 and its 200-day moving average price is $89.32. The firm has a market cap of $2.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.50, a P/E/G ratio of 1.01 and a beta of 0.54. Strategic Education Inc. has a 12 month low of $74.28 and a 12 month high of $121.60.

Strategic Education (NASDAQ:STRA - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The health services provider reported $1.30 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.01 by $0.29. Strategic Education had a net margin of 9.14% and a return on equity of 7.29%. The business had revenue of $303.59 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $300.67 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.11 EPS. The firm's revenue was up 4.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Strategic Education Inc. will post 4.79 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Strategic Education Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 2nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 23rd were issued a $0.60 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 23rd. This represents a $2.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.77%. Strategic Education's payout ratio is presently 51.28%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Robert R. Grusky sold 1,494 shares of Strategic Education stock in a transaction dated Friday, April 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $80.27, for a total transaction of $119,923.38. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 11,349 shares of the company's stock, valued at $910,984.23. This trade represents a 11.63% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 3.30% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently weighed in on STRA shares. Wall Street Zen upgraded Strategic Education from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Barrington Research restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $120.00 price objective on shares of Strategic Education in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on shares of Strategic Education from $97.00 to $98.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, April 28th. Finally, Truist Financial set a $105.00 price target on shares of Strategic Education in a report on Thursday, April 24th.

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.