Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd Acquires 31,268 Shares of Strategic Education Inc. $STRA

Key Points

• Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd significantly increased its position in Strategic Education, boosting its stake by 568.8% in the first quarter to 36,765 shares worth about $3.05 million.
• Strategic Education shares rose 2.4% to $84.23, and the stock has traded between $69.70 and $87.38 over the past 52 weeks.
• The company recently reported quarterly EPS of $1.42, below expectations, while analysts currently have a Hold consensus with an average price target of $88.67.

Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd raised its stake in shares of Strategic Education Inc. (NASDAQ:STRA - Free Report) by 568.8% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 36,765 shares of the health services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 31,268 shares during the period. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd owned 0.16% of Strategic Education worth $3,050,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Allworth Financial LP grew its stake in shares of Strategic Education by 88.5% during the 3rd quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 294 shares of the health services provider's stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 138 shares during the period. Hantz Financial Services Inc. lifted its holdings in Strategic Education by 154.2% during the fourth quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 333 shares of the health services provider's stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 202 shares in the last quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. boosted its position in shares of Strategic Education by 85.2% in the second quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. now owns 387 shares of the health services provider's stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 178 shares during the period. Sankala Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Strategic Education in the fourth quarter worth approximately $37,000. Finally, Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. increased its stake in shares of Strategic Education by 305.3% in the fourth quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 616 shares of the health services provider's stock worth $49,000 after purchasing an additional 464 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.27% of the company's stock.

Strategic Education Stock Up 2.4%

STRA traded up $1.98 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $84.23. The company had a trading volume of 97,998 shares, compared to its average volume of 279,589. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $78.36 and a 200-day simple moving average of $80.34. The stock has a market cap of $1.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.88, a PEG ratio of 0.75 and a beta of 0.50. Strategic Education Inc. has a 52 week low of $69.70 and a 52 week high of $87.38.

Strategic Education (NASDAQ:STRA - Get Free Report) last issued 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). Strategic Education had a net margin of 10.21% and a return on equity of 8.78%. The firm had revenue of $305.93 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $329.81 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.30 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up .8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Strategic Education Inc. will post 7.2 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Strategic Education Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 1st. Investors of record on Friday, May 22nd were paid a $0.60 dividend. This represents a $2.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 22nd. Strategic Education's payout ratio is currently 42.40%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have issued reports on STRA. Barrington Research cut their price target on Strategic Education from $105.00 to $95.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 23rd. BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on Strategic Education from $86.00 to $91.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday. Zacks Research downgraded Strategic Education from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 2nd. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Strategic Education in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded Strategic Education from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 24th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $88.67.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Christa Hokenson sold 2,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $80.00, for a total transaction of $160,000.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 65,195 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,215,600. The trade was a 2.98% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Michael Thawley acquired 665 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Friday, April 24th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $72.71 per share, with a total value of $48,352.15. Following the acquisition, the director owned 12,154 shares in the company, valued at $883,717.34. The trade was a 5.79% increase in their position. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Insiders own 3.60% of the company's stock.

Strategic Education Company 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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