Vanguard Group Inc. Sells 43,444 Shares of Strategic Education Inc. $STRA

Key Points

• Vanguard trimmed its stake in Strategic Education by 43,444 shares in the fourth quarter, leaving it with 2.56 million shares valued at about $205.7 million. Despite the sale, Vanguard still owned 10.92% of the company.
• Strategic Education reported mixed quarterly results, with EPS of $1.42 versus the $1.51 estimate and revenue of $305.93 million versus expectations of $329.81 million. Shares were up 1.4% to $80.18, and the company continues to pay a quarterly dividend of $0.60 per share.
• Analysts remain cautiously positive after recent estimate and target price changes, with consensus rating at “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $87.00. Institutional ownership remains very high at 93.27%, while insiders have recently sold more stock overall than they bought.

Vanguard Group Inc. cut its holdings in Strategic Education Inc. (NASDAQ:STRA - Free Report) by 1.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,564,328 shares of the health services provider's stock after selling 43,444 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. owned 10.92% of Strategic Education worth $205,659,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in STRA. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. raised its position in Strategic Education by 3.1% in the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 16,195 shares of the health services provider's stock worth $1,360,000 after acquiring an additional 487 shares during the period. Jane Street Group LLC raised its position in Strategic Education by 40.2% in the first quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 43,433 shares of the health services provider's stock worth $3,647,000 after acquiring an additional 12,444 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in Strategic Education by 192.7% in the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,162 shares of the health services provider's stock worth $99,000 after acquiring an additional 765 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP raised its position in Strategic Education by 20.0% in the second quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 24,657 shares of the health services provider's stock worth $2,099,000 after acquiring an additional 4,118 shares during the period. Finally, Jump Financial LLC bought a new position in Strategic Education in the second quarter worth approximately $246,000. 93.27% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

More Strategic Education News

Here are the key news stories impacting Strategic Education this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research lifted its earnings outlook for STRA, including higher estimates for FY2026, FY2027, and FY2028, which signals confidence in the company’s longer-term profit growth. Strategic Education Free Report
• Positive Sentiment: The firm also increased near- and medium-term quarterly EPS forecasts, including Q2 2026, Q3 2026, Q4 2026, Q2 2027, Q3 2027, Q4 2027, and Q1 2028, reinforcing expectations for steady earnings momentum. Strategic Education Free Report
• Neutral Sentiment: The latest updates are analyst estimate revisions rather than new company-reported results or guidance, so the stock reaction is likely being driven mainly by improved expectations rather than a fresh operational catalyst. Strategic Education Free Report

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Michael Thawley acquired 665 shares of Strategic Education stock in a transaction on Friday, April 24th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $72.71 per share, with a total value of $48,352.15. Following the purchase, the director directly owned 12,154 shares in the company, valued at $883,717.34. The trade was a 5.79% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, General Counsel Lizette Benedi Herraiz sold 2,982 shares of Strategic Education stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $79.88, for a total value of $238,202.16. Following the completion of the sale, the general counsel directly owned 55,580 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,439,730.40. The trade was a 5.09% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 62,420 shares of company stock worth $4,843,218. Insiders own 3.60% of the company's stock.

Strategic Education Stock Up 1.4%

Shares of STRA stock opened at $80.18 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $1.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.17, a PEG ratio of 0.74 and a beta of 0.52. Strategic Education Inc. has a 52 week low of $69.70 and a 52 week high of $93.45. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $81.00 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $80.52.

Strategic Education (NASDAQ:STRA - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 23rd. The health services provider reported $1.42 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.51 by ($0.09). The company had revenue of $305.93 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $329.81 million. Strategic Education had a return on equity of 8.78% and a net margin of 10.21%.The firm's revenue for the quarter was up .8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.30 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that Strategic Education Inc. will post 7.2 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Strategic Education Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 22nd will be paid a $0.60 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 22nd. This represents a $2.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.0%. Strategic Education's payout ratio is presently 42.40%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently commented on STRA shares. Wall Street Zen downgraded Strategic Education from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Sunday, April 26th. Truist Financial decreased their price objective on Strategic Education from $85.00 to $80.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 27th. Barrington Research decreased their price objective on Strategic Education from $105.00 to $95.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 23rd. BMO Capital Markets decreased their price objective on Strategic Education from $95.00 to $86.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 27th. Finally, Zacks Research raised Strategic Education from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have issued a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Strategic Education has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $87.00.

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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