Strategic Education (NASDAQ:STRA) Reaches New 52-Week High at $121.72

Strategic Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:STRA - Get Free Report) shares reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Monday . The stock traded as high as $121.72 and last traded at $121.33, with a volume of 8818 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $120.65.

Analyst Ratings Changes

STRA has been the subject of a number of research reports. TheStreet upgraded Strategic Education from a "c+" rating to a "b" rating in a report on Thursday, February 29th. BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on shares of Strategic Education from $123.00 to $130.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, April 29th. Bank of America increased their price objective on shares of Strategic Education from $104.00 to $124.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 5th. Barrington Research raised their target price on shares of Strategic Education from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 25th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Strategic Education from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, April 26th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Strategic Education presently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $133.50.

Strategic Education Price Performance

The business's 50-day simple moving average is $104.15 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $95.61. The stock has a market cap of $3.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.15, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.23 and a beta of 0.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04, a current ratio of 1.49 and a quick ratio of 1.49.

Strategic Education (NASDAQ:STRA - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The health services provider reported $1.11 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.60 by $0.51. Strategic Education had a return on equity of 6.78% and a net margin of 8.70%. The firm had revenue of $290.25 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $274.02 million. Research analysts expect that Strategic Education, Inc. will post 5.01 earnings per share for the current year.

Strategic Education Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 3rd. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 24th will be given a $0.60 dividend. This represents a $2.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.95%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 23rd. Strategic Education's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 56.87%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Robert R. Grusky sold 350 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, May 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $122.50, for a total value of $42,875.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 11,345 shares in the company, valued at $1,389,762.50. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In related news, Director Robert R. Grusky sold 350 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $122.50, for a total transaction of $42,875.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 11,345 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,389,762.50. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CFO Daniel Wayne Jackson sold 3,713 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $95.95, for a total transaction of $356,262.35. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 71,770 shares of the company's stock, valued at $6,886,331.50. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 17,595 shares of company stock valued at $1,715,264. Insiders own 3.10% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in STRA. Russell Investments Group Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of Strategic Education in the 4th quarter worth about $73,000. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC boosted its holdings in Strategic Education by 27.8% during the 3rd quarter. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC now owns 1,084 shares of the health services provider's stock worth $82,000 after acquiring an additional 236 shares during the last quarter. TFO Wealth Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of Strategic Education by 118,000.0% in the 4th quarter. TFO Wealth Partners LLC now owns 1,181 shares of the health services provider's stock worth $109,000 after acquiring an additional 1,180 shares in the last quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of Strategic Education in the third quarter valued at about $234,000. Finally, Everence Capital Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Strategic Education during the fourth quarter valued at about $236,000. 93.27% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.