Squarepoint Ops LLC Cuts Stock Position in Strategic Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:STRA)

Squarepoint Ops LLC reduced its position in shares of Strategic Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:STRA - Free Report) by 26.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 20,940 shares of the health services provider's stock after selling 7,518 shares during the period. Squarepoint Ops LLC owned 0.09% of Strategic Education worth $1,956,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. R Squared Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Strategic Education in the fourth quarter worth approximately $42,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in Strategic Education by 394.8% in the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 480 shares of the health services provider's stock valued at $44,000 after purchasing an additional 383 shares in the last quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC boosted its stake 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 worth $65,000 after purchasing an additional 623 shares during the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in Strategic Education during the 4th quarter worth $96,000. Finally, KBC Group NV grew its holdings in shares of Strategic Education by 53.3% during the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 1,044 shares of the health services provider's stock worth $98,000 after buying an additional 363 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.27% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

Strategic Education Stock Performance

Shares of STRA stock traded up $1.03 on Monday, hitting $92.26. 133,360 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 155,543. Strategic Education, Inc. has a twelve month low of $74.28 and a twelve month high of $121.60. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $84.27 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $90.59. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.23 billion, a PE ratio of 17.57, a PEG ratio of 1.22 and a beta of 0.52.

Strategic Education (NASDAQ:STRA - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The health services provider reported $1.30 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.01 by $0.29. Strategic Education had a net margin of 10.44% and a return on equity of 7.61%. The company had revenue of $303.59 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $300.67 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.11 EPS. Strategic Education's revenue was up 4.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Strategic Education, Inc. will post 4.79 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Strategic Education Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 2nd. Investors of record on Friday, May 23rd will be issued a $0.60 dividend. This represents a $2.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.60%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 23rd. Strategic Education's dividend payout ratio is presently 51.28%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Michael A. Mcrobbie bought 600 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, March 10th. The shares were bought at an average price of $81.80 per share, with a total value of $49,080.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 6,135 shares of the company's stock, valued at $501,843. This represents a 10.84% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Robert R. Grusky sold 1,494 shares of Strategic Education stock in a transaction dated Friday, April 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $80.27, for a total transaction of $119,923.38. Following the sale, the director now owns 11,349 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $910,984.23. This represents a 11.63% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 3.30% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.