Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. Makes New $1.68 Million Investment in Strategic Education Inc. $STRA

Key Points

• Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management acquired 21,922 shares of Strategic Education, valued at approximately $1.68 million, giving it a 0.10% stake. Institutional investors collectively own 93.27% of the company.
• Analyst sentiment remains mixed: Strategic Education has a consensus “Hold” rating and an average price target of $95.33, with recent targets ranging from $90 to $105.
• Strategic Education’s latest quarterly results missed expectations, with EPS of $1.76 versus $1.80 expected and revenue of $321.6 million versus $327.55 million forecast. The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.60 per share, equivalent to a 2.8% yield.

Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. acquired a new stake in Strategic Education Inc. (NASDAQ:STRA - Free Report) in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund acquired 21,922 shares of the health services provider's stock, valued at approximately $1,680,000. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. owned 0.10% of Strategic Education as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Allworth Financial LP grew its position in 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 buying an additional 138 shares in the last quarter. Axiom Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in Strategic Education in the first quarter valued at about $25,000. Hantz Financial Services Inc. raised its stake in Strategic Education by 154.2% in the fourth quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 333 shares of the health services provider's stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 202 shares in the last quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. lifted its position in 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 purchasing an additional 178 shares during the period. Finally, Sankala Group LLC acquired a new stake in Strategic Education during the fourth quarter worth about $37,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.27% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have recently commented on STRA. Truist Financial boosted their target price on shares of Strategic Education from $80.00 to $90.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on shares of Strategic Education from $86.00 to $91.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, July 6th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Strategic Education from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, August 1st. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Strategic Education from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 2nd. Finally, Barrington Research set a $105.00 target price on Strategic Education in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Strategic Education currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $95.33.

Strategic Education Trading Down 1.1%

STRA stock opened at $84.64 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.11, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.78 and a beta of 0.49. Strategic Education Inc. has a 12 month low of $69.70 and a 12 month high of $89.73. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $80.97 and a 200-day moving average price of $80.07.

Strategic Education (NASDAQ:STRA - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The health services provider reported $1.76 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.80 by ($0.04). Strategic Education had a net margin of 10.46% and a return on equity of 8.98%. The company had revenue of $321.60 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $327.55 million. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.54 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 4.9% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts predict that Strategic Education Inc. will post 7.23 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Strategic Education Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 14th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 4th will be issued a dividend of $0.60 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 4th. This represents a $2.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.8%. Strategic Education's dividend payout ratio is 40.00%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Strategic Education

In related news, insider Christa Hokenson sold 2,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $80.00, for a total transaction of $160,000.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 65,195 shares in the company, valued at $5,215,600. The trade was a 2.98% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 3.60% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

About Strategic Education

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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