Dimensional Fund Advisors LP Decreases Stake in Strategic Education Inc. $STRA

Key Points

• Dimensional Fund Advisors LP has reduced its position in Strategic Education Inc. by 1.0%, now holding approximately 1.48 million shares valued at $124.12 million.
• Strategic Education recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.60 per share, reflecting an annualized yield of 3.0% with a payout ratio of 49.90%.
• Wall Street analysts maintain a strong outlook for STRA, with several firms setting a price target of $105.00, while the average target price for the stock is $99.33.

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP reduced its position in Strategic Education Inc. (NASDAQ:STRA - Free Report) by 1.0% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 1,478,335 shares of the health services provider's stock after selling 14,189 shares during the quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP owned 6.12% of Strategic Education worth $124,123,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Sterling Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Strategic Education by 809.1% in the 4th quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 700 shares of the health services provider's stock worth $65,000 after acquiring an additional 623 shares in the last quarter. Significant Wealth Partners LLC grew its stake in Strategic Education by 17.3% in the 1st quarter. Significant Wealth Partners LLC now owns 2,689 shares of the health services provider's stock worth $226,000 after acquiring an additional 396 shares in the last quarter. NBC Securities Inc. grew its stake in Strategic Education by 105,000.0% in the 1st quarter. NBC Securities Inc. now owns 3,153 shares of the health services provider's stock worth $264,000 after acquiring an additional 3,150 shares in the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC grew its stake in Strategic Education by 36.7% in the 1st quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 3,251 shares of the health services provider's stock worth $273,000 after acquiring an additional 872 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of Montreal Can grew its stake in Strategic Education by 7.5% in the 4th quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 3,542 shares of the health services provider's stock worth $331,000 after acquiring an additional 246 shares in the last quarter. 93.27% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director G Thomas Waite III sold 700 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $81.69, for a total transaction of $57,183.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 15,926 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,300,994.94. This represents a 4.21% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 3.30% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Strategic Education Stock Performance

NASDAQ:STRA traded up $0.44 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $81.60. 113,581 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 167,316. Strategic Education Inc. has a 12-month low of $72.25 and a 12-month high of $104.51. The business has a 50-day moving average of $80.22 and a two-hundred day moving average of $84.14. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.95 billion, a PE ratio of 16.96, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.95 and a beta of 0.58.

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 analysts' consensus estimates of $1.42 by $0.10. Strategic Education had a net margin of 9.27% and a return on equity of 7.52%. The company had revenue of $321.47 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $322.84 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.33 earnings per share. Strategic Education's revenue for the quarter was up 2.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts anticipate that Strategic Education Inc. will post 4.79 earnings per share for the current year.

Strategic Education Dividend Announcement

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have commented on the stock. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Strategic Education from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, August 2nd. Barrington Research restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $105.00 target price on shares of Strategic Education in a research note on Wednesday, July 30th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets dropped their price objective on shares of 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 equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $99.33.

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.