Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. Lowers Stock Holdings in Strategic Education Inc. $STRA

Key Points

• Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. reduced its stake in Strategic Education Inc. by 17.3%, selling 5,406 shares, and now owns 25,785 shares valued at approximately $2.16 million.
• Analysts have mixed views on the stock, with BMO Capital Markets lowering its price target from $98 to $88, while Barrington Research maintained a target of $105.
• Strategic Education announced a quarterly dividend of $0.60, providing an annual yield of 3.1% with a payout ratio of 49.90% currently in effect.

Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. cut its stake in Strategic Education Inc. (NASDAQ:STRA - Free Report) by 17.3% in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 25,785 shares of the health services provider's stock after selling 5,406 shares during the period. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. owned approximately 0.11% of Strategic Education worth $2,165,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Wells Fargo & Company MN lifted its holdings in Strategic Education by 21.2% in the fourth quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 39,603 shares of the health services provider's stock valued at $3,700,000 after acquiring an additional 6,935 shares during the last quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. lifted its holdings in Strategic Education by 2,526.8% in the fourth quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 28,317 shares of the health services provider's stock valued at $2,645,000 after acquiring an additional 27,239 shares during the last quarter. Bank of Montreal Can lifted its holdings in Strategic Education by 7.5% in the fourth quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 3,542 shares of the health services provider's stock valued at $331,000 after acquiring an additional 246 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. lifted its holdings in Strategic Education by 5.5% in the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 152,828 shares of the health services provider's stock valued at $14,277,000 after acquiring an additional 7,923 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Legal & General Group Plc lifted its holdings in Strategic Education by 2.5% in the fourth quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 69,688 shares of the health services provider's stock valued at $6,510,000 after acquiring an additional 1,674 shares during the last quarter. 93.27% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Strategic Education Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ STRA traded up $0.2350 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $79.2250. The company had a trading volume of 17,807 shares, compared to its average volume of 172,262. The company has a market capitalization of $1.89 billion, a PE ratio of 16.45, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.92 and a beta of 0.58. Strategic Education Inc. has a 1-year low of $72.25 and a 1-year high of $104.51. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $80.66 and its 200 day simple moving average is $84.85.

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

Strategic Education Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 15th. Investors of record on Friday, September 5th will be given a $0.60 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 5th. This represents a $2.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.0%. Strategic Education's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 49.90%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently commented on STRA shares. Wall Street Zen cut Strategic Education from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, August 2nd. Truist Financial set a $105.00 price target on Strategic Education in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. Barrington Research restated an "outperform" rating and set a $105.00 price target on shares of Strategic Education in a research note on Wednesday, July 30th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets decreased their price target on Strategic Education from $98.00 to $88.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, August 1st. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, According to MarketBeat.com, Strategic Education presently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $99.33.

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.