AlphaQuest LLC Raises Holdings in Strategic Education Inc. $STRA

Key Points

• AlphaQuest LLC significantly increased its holdings in Strategic Education Inc. by 115,700% during the second quarter, acquiring a total of 12,738 shares valued at approximately $1,084,000.
• Institutional investors own 93.27% of Strategic Education's stock, indicating strong institutional interest in the company.
• The company recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.60 per share, equating to a 2.9% annual yield.

AlphaQuest LLC raised its holdings in shares of Strategic Education Inc. (NASDAQ:STRA - Free Report) by 115,700.0% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 12,738 shares of the health services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 12,727 shares during the period. AlphaQuest LLC owned approximately 0.05% of Strategic Education worth $1,084,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its stake in Strategic Education by 2.6% during the 1st quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 127,684 shares of the health services provider's stock valued at $10,720,000 after purchasing an additional 3,256 shares during the last quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. boosted its stake in Strategic Education by 6.6% during the 1st quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 423,549 shares of the health services provider's stock valued at $35,561,000 after purchasing an additional 26,284 shares during the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. boosted its stake in Strategic Education by 17.2% during the 1st quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 44,387 shares of the health services provider's stock valued at $3,727,000 after purchasing an additional 6,513 shares during the last quarter. Cerity Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Strategic Education during the 1st quarter valued at $473,000. Finally, Bastion Asset Management Inc. boosted its stake in Strategic Education by 286.9% during the 1st quarter. Bastion Asset Management Inc. now owns 45,914 shares of the health services provider's stock valued at $3,773,000 after purchasing an additional 34,048 shares during the last quarter. 93.27% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

STRA has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Barrington Research reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $105.00 target price on shares of Strategic Education in a research note on Tuesday, October 21st. BMO Capital Markets restated an "outperform" rating on shares of Strategic Education in a research note on Monday, September 8th. Weiss Ratings restated a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Strategic Education in a research note on Saturday. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded Strategic Education from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, September 13th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $99.33.

Strategic Education Price Performance

STRA stock opened at $84.02 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $2.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.99 and a beta of 0.67. Strategic Education Inc. has a 1 year low of $72.25 and a 1 year high of $104.51. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $82.15 and its 200-day moving average price is $82.64.

Strategic Education (NASDAQ:STRA - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 30th. The health services provider reported $1.52 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.42 by $0.10. The firm had revenue of $321.47 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $322.84 million. Strategic Education had a return on equity of 7.52% and a net margin of 9.27%.The company's revenue for the quarter was up 2.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.33 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that Strategic Education Inc. will post 4.79 earnings per share for the current year.

Strategic Education Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 15th. Investors of record on Friday, September 5th were given a dividend of $0.60 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, September 5th. This represents a $2.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.9%. Strategic Education's payout ratio is 49.90%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Strategic Education

In related news, Director G Thomas Waite III sold 700 shares of Strategic Education stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $81.69, for a total transaction of $57,183.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 15,926 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,300,994.94. The trade was a 4.21% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CFO Daniel Wayne Jackson bought 1,900 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 29th. The shares were bought at an average price of $81.50 per share, for a total transaction of $154,850.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 104,136 shares of the company's stock, valued at $8,487,084. This represents a 1.86% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 3.30% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.

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