Strategic Education Inc. (NASDAQ:STRA) Shares Purchased by Lightrock Netherlands B.V.

Lightrock Netherlands B.V. increased its stake in shares of Strategic Education Inc. (NASDAQ:STRA - Free Report) by 86.4% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 91,804 shares of the health services provider's stock after buying an additional 42,542 shares during the quarter. Strategic Education comprises approximately 2.0% of Lightrock Netherlands B.V.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 27th biggest holding. Lightrock Netherlands B.V. owned 0.37% of Strategic Education worth $7,721,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. SG Americas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in Strategic Education in the first quarter valued at $727,000. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC acquired a new position in shares of Strategic Education in the fourth quarter worth about $821,000. NBC Securities Inc. raised its position in shares of Strategic Education by 105,000.0% in the first 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 during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its position in shares of Strategic Education by 9,128.9% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 11,167 shares of the health services provider's stock worth $938,000 after acquiring an additional 11,046 shares during the period. Finally, Wedge Capital Management L L P NC raised its position in shares of Strategic Education by 32.8% in the first quarter. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC now owns 17,376 shares of the health services provider's stock worth $1,459,000 after acquiring an additional 4,290 shares during the period. 93.27% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Strategic Education Trading Up 0.4%

STRA stock traded up $0.31 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $81.08. The company's stock had a trading volume of 240,400 shares, compared to its average volume of 157,717. The stock has a market cap of $1.96 billion, a PE ratio of 17.32, a P/E/G ratio of 0.95 and a beta of 0.52. Strategic Education Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $74.28 and a fifty-two week high of $121.60. The company's 50 day moving average is $86.76 and its two-hundred day moving average is $88.33.

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 9.14% and a return on equity of 7.29%. 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. On average, analysts forecast that Strategic Education Inc. will post 4.79 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Strategic Education Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 2nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 23rd were given a $0.60 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 23rd. This represents a $2.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.96%. Strategic Education's dividend payout ratio is presently 51.28%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Strategic Education news, Director Robert R. Grusky sold 1,494 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, April 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $80.27, for a total value of $119,923.38. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 11,349 shares of the company's stock, valued at $910,984.23. This trade represents a 11.63% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 3.30% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

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.