Edgestream Partners L.P. Acquires Shares of 17,492 Strategic Education Inc. $STRA

Key Points

• Edgestream Partners acquired 17,492 shares of Strategic Education worth approximately $1.45 million, while institutional investors collectively own 93.27% of the company.
• Analyst sentiment remains mixed, with a consensus “Hold” rating and an average price target of $95.33; recent targets ranged from $90 to $105.
• Strategic Education’s latest quarter fell slightly short of expectations, reporting $1.76 in EPS and $321.6 million in revenue, though revenue rose 4.9% year over year. The company also announced a quarterly dividend of $0.60, representing a 2.9% annualized yield.

Edgestream Partners L.P. acquired a new stake in Strategic Education Inc. (NASDAQ:STRA - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 17,492 shares of the health services provider's stock, valued at approximately $1,451,000. Edgestream Partners L.P. owned approximately 0.08% of Strategic Education at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Amundi grew its stake in shares of Strategic Education by 28.1% during the first quarter. Amundi now owns 4,891 shares of the health services provider's stock worth $406,000 after purchasing an additional 1,073 shares in the last quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System raised its stake in Strategic Education by 32.6% in the first quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 29,583 shares of the health services provider's stock valued at $2,454,000 after buying an additional 7,276 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC purchased a new stake in Strategic Education during the 1st quarter worth about $2,284,000. Quantinno Capital Management LP lifted its holdings in Strategic Education by 343.3% during the 1st quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 23,231 shares of the health services provider's stock worth $1,927,000 after buying an additional 17,990 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Lazard Asset Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Strategic Education by 0.9% during the 1st quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 23,741 shares of the health services provider's stock worth $1,970,000 after acquiring an additional 207 shares in the last quarter. 93.27% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

STRA has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Truist Financial increased their price target on shares of Strategic Education from $80.00 to $90.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Strategic Education from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday. Weiss Ratings restated a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Strategic Education in a research report on Friday, July 17th. Zacks Research cut shares of Strategic Education from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, June 2nd. Finally, Barrington Research set a $105.00 target price on shares of Strategic Education in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $95.33.

Strategic Education Stock Up 2.1%

Shares of NASDAQ STRA opened at $83.70 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $1.86 billion, a PE ratio of 13.95, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.76 and a beta of 0.49. Strategic Education Inc. has a 52-week low of $69.70 and a 52-week high of $89.73. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $79.11 and a 200 day moving average price of $80.15.

Strategic Education (NASDAQ:STRA - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 29th. The health services provider reported $1.76 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.80 by ($0.04). The firm had revenue of $321.60 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $327.55 million. Strategic Education had a net margin of 10.46% and a return on equity of 8.98%. Strategic Education's quarterly revenue was up 4.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.54 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Strategic Education Inc. will post 7.21 earnings per share for the current year.

Strategic Education Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 14th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 4th will be paid a $0.60 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 4th. This represents a $2.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.9%. Strategic Education's payout ratio is currently 40.00%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Christa Hokenson sold 2,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $80.00, for a total value of $160,000.00. Following the transaction, 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 the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Corporate insiders own 3.60% of the company's stock.

Strategic Education 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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