Intech Investment Management LLC Has $4.09 Million Stock Holdings in Strategic Education Inc. $STRA

Key Points

• Intech Investment Management LLC significantly increased its stake in Strategic Education Inc. by 274%, acquiring an additional 35,692 shares, totaling 48,718 shares valued at $4.09 million.
• Analysts have upgraded their ratings for Strategic Education, with Barrington Research setting a price target of $105.00, contributing to an average target price of $99.33 among three analysts who rate the stock as a "Buy."
• Strategic Education recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.60 per share, representing a 2.9% yield, with a payout ratio currently at 49.90%.

Intech Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in Strategic Education Inc. (NASDAQ:STRA - Free Report) by 274.0% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 48,718 shares of the health services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 35,692 shares during the quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC owned 0.20% of Strategic Education worth $4,090,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in STRA. Nuveen LLC bought a new stake in Strategic Education during the first quarter worth about $31,497,000. Burgundy Asset Management Ltd. grew its stake in Strategic Education by 17.3% during the first quarter. Burgundy Asset Management Ltd. now owns 1,475,831 shares of the health services provider's stock worth $123,911,000 after buying an additional 217,151 shares during the last quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board grew its stake in Strategic Education by 129.9% during the first quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 139,374 shares of the health services provider's stock worth $11,702,000 after buying an additional 78,740 shares during the last quarter. Royal Bank of Canada grew its stake in Strategic Education by 9.5% during the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 645,235 shares of the health services provider's stock worth $54,174,000 after buying an additional 56,182 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Teacher Retirement System of Texas grew its stake in Strategic Education by 229.3% during the first quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas now owns 65,113 shares of the health services provider's stock worth $5,467,000 after buying an additional 45,341 shares during the last quarter. 93.27% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Strategic Education Price Performance

Shares of STRA stock traded up $0.78 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $82.72. 29,338 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 170,458. Strategic Education Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $72.25 and a fifty-two week high of $104.51. The stock's fifty day moving average is $79.56 and its two-hundred day moving average is $82.50. The company has a market cap of $1.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.20, a P/E/G ratio of 0.96 and a beta of 0.69.

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

Strategic Education Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 15th. Investors of record on Friday, September 5th were issued a $0.60 dividend. This represents a $2.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.9%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, September 5th. Strategic Education's dividend payout ratio is currently 49.90%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

STRA has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Strategic Education from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, September 13th. Barrington Research reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $105.00 price objective on shares of Strategic Education in a research note on Wednesday, July 30th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of Strategic Education in a research report on Monday, September 8th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $99.33.

Insider Activity at Strategic Education

In other Strategic Education news, CFO Daniel Wayne Jackson acquired 1,900 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 29th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $81.50 per share, for a total transaction of $154,850.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief financial officer directly owned 104,136 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $8,487,084. This represents a 1.86% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, 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 transaction, the director owned 15,926 shares in the company, valued at $1,300,994.94. This represents a 4.21% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 3.30% of the company's stock.

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.