6,536 Shares in Strategic Education Inc. (NASDAQ:STRA) Purchased by Royce & Associates LP

Key Points

• Royce & Associates LP has made a new investment worth approximately $549,000 in Strategic Education Inc. by acquiring 6,536 shares during the first quarter.
• Strategic Education recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.60 per share, with an annualized payout of $2.40 and a dividend yield of 3.02%.
• Analysts have shown positive sentiment towards Strategic Education, with multiple firms raising their price targets and upgrading their ratings, including BMO Capital Markets lifting their target to $98.00.

Royce & Associates LP acquired a new position in shares of Strategic Education Inc. (NASDAQ:STRA - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 6,536 shares of the health services provider's stock, valued at approximately $549,000.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Sterling Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Strategic Education by 809.1% during the 4th 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. Covestor Ltd grew its holdings in Strategic Education by 44.0% during the 4th quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 1,431 shares of the health services provider's stock worth $134,000 after acquiring an additional 437 shares in the last quarter. Significant Wealth Partners LLC grew its holdings in Strategic Education by 17.3% during 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. HighTower Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Strategic Education by 13.4% during the 4th quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 2,777 shares of the health services provider's stock worth $259,000 after acquiring an additional 329 shares in the last quarter. Finally, NBC Securities Inc. grew its holdings in Strategic Education by 105,000.0% during 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. 93.27% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Strategic Education Trading Up 1.0%

Shares of STRA stock traded up $0.74 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $74.88. The stock had a trading volume of 225,967 shares, compared to its average volume of 193,692. The business's fifty day moving average is $83.43 and its 200-day moving average is $86.48. The firm has a market cap of $1.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.57, a PEG ratio of 0.88 and a beta of 0.58. Strategic Education Inc. has a 1-year low of $72.25 and a 1-year high of $104.51.

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

Strategic Education Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared 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. This represents a $2.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.2%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 5th. Strategic Education's dividend payout ratio is 49.90%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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 report on Saturday. BMO Capital Markets reduced their target price on shares of Strategic Education from $98.00 to $88.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Friday. Barrington Research reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $105.00 target price on shares of Strategic Education in a report on Wednesday. Finally, Truist Financial set a $105.00 target price on shares of Strategic Education in a report 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.