D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. Cuts Stock Holdings in Strategic Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:STRA)

D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. decreased its stake in Strategic Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:STRA - Free Report) by 51.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 12,869 shares of the health services provider's stock after selling 13,718 shares during the quarter. D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. owned approximately 0.05% of Strategic Education worth $1,202,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. R Squared Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Strategic Education during the 4th quarter worth approximately $42,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its position in Strategic Education by 394.8% during the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 480 shares of the health services provider's stock valued at $44,000 after buying an additional 383 shares during the period. Sterling Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in Strategic Education by 809.1% in the fourth quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 700 shares of the health services provider's stock valued at $65,000 after buying an additional 623 shares in the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Strategic Education during the 4th quarter worth about $96,000. Finally, KBC Group NV grew its position in shares of Strategic Education by 53.3% during the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 1,044 shares of the health services provider's stock valued at $98,000 after acquiring an additional 363 shares during the period. 93.27% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at Strategic Education

In other news, General Counsel Lizette Benedi Herraiz sold 1,452 shares of Strategic Education stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $82.21, for a total value of $119,368.92. Following the completion of the transaction, the general counsel now owns 61,716 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,073,672.36. This trade represents a 2.30% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Robert R. Grusky sold 1,494 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, April 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $80.27, for a total transaction of $119,923.38. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 11,349 shares in the company, valued at approximately $910,984.23. The trade was a 11.63% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 3.30% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

Strategic Education Price Performance

Shares of STRA traded down $0.04 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $89.51. The stock had a trading volume of 11,701 shares, compared to its average volume of 155,315. Strategic Education, Inc. has a 52-week low of $74.28 and a 52-week high of $121.60. The firm has a market cap of $2.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.05, a P/E/G ratio of 1.22 and a beta of 0.52. The business's fifty day moving average is $83.65 and its 200 day moving average is $90.82.

Strategic Education (NASDAQ:STRA - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The health services provider reported $1.30 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.01 by $0.29. The business had revenue of $303.59 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $300.67 million. Strategic Education had a net margin of 10.44% and a return on equity of 7.61%. The business's revenue was up 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.11 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Strategic Education, Inc. will post 4.79 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Strategic Education Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 2nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 23rd will be paid a dividend of $0.60 per share. This represents a $2.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.68%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 23rd. Strategic Education's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 51.28%.

About Strategic Education

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.