Strategic Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:STRA) Short Interest Update

Strategic Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:STRA - Get Free Report) was the target of a large decrease in short interest in March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totalling 364,200 shares, a decrease of 18.5% from the March 15th total of 447,100 shares. Approximately 1.5% of the company's shares are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 88,700 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 4.1 days.

Strategic Education Stock Performance

STRA stock traded down $2.06 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $98.45. 112,522 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 106,851. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $100.67 and its 200-day simple moving average is $92.51. Strategic Education has a 1-year low of $64.53 and a 1-year high of $111.95. The firm has a market cap of $2.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.95, a PEG ratio of 1.20 and a beta of 0.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04, a current ratio of 1.57 and a quick ratio of 1.57.

Strategic Education (NASDAQ:STRA - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 29th. The health services provider reported $1.68 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.34 by $0.34. Strategic Education had a net margin of 6.16% and a return on equity of 5.52%. The business had revenue of $302.70 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $297.48 million. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.78 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 12.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts expect that Strategic Education will post 4.6 earnings per share for the current year.

Strategic Education Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 18th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 11th were paid a $0.60 dividend. This represents a $2.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.44%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 8th. Strategic Education's dividend payout ratio is currently 82.76%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Truist Financial raised their price target on shares of Strategic Education from $92.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, March 1st. Bank of America raised their price target on shares of Strategic Education from $104.00 to $124.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 5th. Barrington Research reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $125.00 target price on shares of Strategic Education in a report on Tuesday. TheStreet raised shares of Strategic Education from a "c+" rating to a "b" rating in a report on Thursday, February 29th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on shares of Strategic Education from $103.00 to $123.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, March 1st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Strategic Education presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $120.50.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Strategic Education news, CFO Daniel Wayne Jackson sold 3,713 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $95.95, for a total value of $356,262.35. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 71,770 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,886,331.50. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In other news, CEO Raymond Karl Mcdonnell sold 12,820 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $95.99, for a total transaction of $1,230,591.80. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 161,359 shares in the company, valued at $15,488,850.41. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CFO Daniel Wayne Jackson sold 3,713 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $95.95, for a total transaction of $356,262.35. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 71,770 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,886,331.50. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 3.10% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Strategic Education

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of STRA. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. raised its stake in Strategic Education by 103.6% during the fourth quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 253,390 shares of the health services provider's stock worth $23,406,000 after purchasing an additional 128,961 shares during the period. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD raised its stake in Strategic Education by 7.8% during the fourth quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 56,809 shares of the health services provider's stock worth $5,249,000 after purchasing an additional 4,097 shares during the period. Virtus Fund Advisers LLC purchased a new position in Strategic Education during the fourth quarter worth about $65,000. Virtus Investment Advisers Inc. purchased a new position in Strategic Education during the fourth quarter worth about $973,000. Finally, Barclays PLC raised its stake in Strategic Education by 221.0% during the fourth quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 35,448 shares of the health services provider's stock worth $3,274,000 after purchasing an additional 24,406 shares during the period. 93.27% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other 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.