Bastion Asset Management Inc. Purchases 57,228 Shares of Strategic Education Inc. $STRA

Key Points

• Bastion Asset Management boosted its stake in Strategic Education by 409.3% in Q4, adding 57,228 shares to reach 71,209 shares valued at about $5.64 million.
• Strategic Education reported mixed quarterly results, with EPS of $1.42 missing estimates and revenue of $305.93 million also coming in below expectations, though revenue still edged up 0.8% year over year.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.60 per share, implying a 3.0% annualized yield, even as analysts currently hold a Moderate Buy consensus with an average price target of $87.00.

Bastion Asset Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Strategic Education Inc. (NASDAQ:STRA - Free Report) by 409.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 71,209 shares of the health services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 57,228 shares during the quarter. Strategic Education comprises about 3.1% of Bastion Asset Management Inc.'s portfolio, making the stock its 16th largest holding. Bastion Asset Management Inc. owned approximately 0.30% of Strategic Education worth $5,644,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Allworth Financial LP boosted its position in shares of Strategic Education by 88.5% during the third quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 294 shares of the health services provider's stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 138 shares during the last quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. boosted its position in shares of Strategic Education by 85.2% during the second quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. now owns 387 shares of the health services provider's stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 178 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its position in shares of Strategic Education by 281.6% during the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 725 shares of the health services provider's stock worth $58,000 after acquiring an additional 535 shares during the last quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board bought a new position in shares of Strategic Education during the second quarter worth $94,000. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Strategic Education by 192.7% during the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,162 shares of the health services provider's stock worth $99,000 after acquiring an additional 765 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.27% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CFO Daniel Wayne Jackson sold 13,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $82.37, for a total value of $1,070,810.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 100,096 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $8,244,907.52. This represents a 11.49% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Michael Thawley bought 665 shares of Strategic Education stock in a transaction dated Friday, April 24th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $72.71 per share, for a total transaction of $48,352.15. Following the purchase, the director owned 12,154 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $883,717.34. This trade represents a 5.79% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 62,420 shares of company stock valued at $4,843,218. 3.60% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on STRA shares. Zacks Research raised shares of Strategic Education from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. BMO Capital Markets lowered their price objective on shares of Strategic Education from $95.00 to $86.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 27th. Barrington Research lowered their price objective on shares of Strategic Education from $105.00 to $95.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 23rd. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Strategic Education in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Strategic Education from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Sunday, April 26th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have given a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $87.00.

Strategic Education Stock Down 1.2%

STRA stock opened at $80.04 on Wednesday. Strategic Education Inc. has a 52 week low of $69.70 and a 52 week high of $93.45. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $80.58 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $80.32. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.14, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.75 and a beta of 0.52.

Strategic Education (NASDAQ:STRA - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 23rd. The health services provider reported $1.42 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.51 by ($0.09). Strategic Education had a net margin of 10.21% and a return on equity of 8.78%. The business had revenue of $305.93 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $329.81 million. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.30 EPS. Strategic Education's revenue for the quarter was up .8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts anticipate that Strategic Education Inc. will post 7.2 EPS for the current year.

Strategic Education Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 22nd will be paid a $0.60 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 22nd. This represents a $2.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.0%. Strategic Education's dividend payout ratio is currently 42.40%.

Strategic Education Company Profile

Strategic Education, Inc is a publicly traded higher education services holding company headquartered in Herndon, Virginia. Through its primary operating subsidiaries, Strayer University and Capella University, the company delivers degree programs and professional development opportunities to working adults. Its offerings span undergraduate and graduate degrees, certificates, continuing education, and workforce training in fields such as business, technology, health services, education, and public administration.

Strayer University, with a network of physical campuses across the United States complemented by an online platform, provides associate’s through doctoral degrees designed to accommodate non-traditional students.

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