Strategic Education (NASDAQ:STRA) Shares Down 3.4%

Strategic Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:STRA - Get Free Report) shares traded down 3.4% on Monday . The company traded as low as $116.92 and last traded at $116.93. 37,835 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 61% from the average session volume of 97,378 shares. The stock had previously closed at $121.06.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

Strategic Education Stock Down 2.7 %

The stock has a fifty day moving average of $102.34 and a 200-day moving average of $94.62. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.92, a PEG ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 0.50. The company has a current ratio of 1.49, a quick ratio of 1.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04.

Strategic Education (NASDAQ:STRA - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The health services provider reported $1.11 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.60 by $0.51. The business had revenue of $290.25 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $274.02 million. Strategic Education had a return on equity of 6.78% and a net margin of 8.70%. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Strategic Education, Inc. will post 4.75 EPS for the current year.

Strategic Education Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 3rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 24th will be given a $0.60 dividend. This represents a $2.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.04%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 23rd. Strategic Education's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 56.87%.

Insider Activity at Strategic Education

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. SG Americas Securities LLC lifted its stake in shares of Strategic Education by 320.0% in the 3rd quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 13,155 shares of the health services provider's stock valued at $990,000 after purchasing an additional 10,023 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. lifted its position in Strategic Education by 3.1% in the third quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. now owns 11,676 shares of the health services provider's stock worth $879,000 after purchasing an additional 349 shares during the period. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank boosted its position in shares of Strategic Education by 30.9% during the 3rd quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 3,787 shares of the health services provider's stock valued at $285,000 after acquiring an additional 894 shares in the last quarter. TD Asset Management Inc boosted its holdings in Strategic Education by 11.3% during the third quarter. TD Asset Management Inc now owns 31,626 shares of the health services provider's stock valued at $2,380,000 after purchasing an additional 3,200 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Panagora Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Strategic Education in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $278,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.27% of the company's stock.

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.