Strategic Education (NASDAQ:STRA) Raised to Buy at Truist Financial

Strategic Education (NASDAQ:STRA - Get Free Report) was upgraded by stock analysts at Truist Financial from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report released on Wednesday, MarketBeat Ratings reports. The brokerage presently has a $125.00 price objective on the health services provider's stock, up from their previous price objective of $110.00. Truist Financial's price objective would indicate a potential upside of 27.46% from the company's current price.

Several other research analysts also recently weighed in on STRA. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Strategic Education from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 9th. Barrington Research reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $125.00 price objective on shares of Strategic Education in a report on Tuesday, April 9th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on Strategic Education from $103.00 to $123.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, March 1st. 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. Finally, TheStreet raised Strategic Education from a "c+" rating to a "b" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 29th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Strategic Education presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $124.25.

Strategic Education Stock Performance

NASDAQ:STRA traded up $1.36 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $98.07. 117,250 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 89,263. The company has a quick ratio of 1.57, a current ratio of 1.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $100.79 and its 200-day moving average price is $92.97. The firm has a market cap of $2.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.82, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.16 and a beta of 0.50. Strategic Education has a one year low of $64.53 and a one year high of $111.95.

Strategic Education (NASDAQ:STRA - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 29th. The health services provider reported $1.68 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.34 by $0.34. Strategic Education had a return on equity of 5.52% and a net margin of 6.16%. The company had revenue of $302.70 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $297.48 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.78 EPS. The firm's revenue was up 12.2% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts anticipate that Strategic Education will post 4.6 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Strategic Education

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Strategic Education by 4.3% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 2,538,802 shares of the health services provider's stock valued at $168,526,000 after acquiring an additional 103,533 shares in the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD raised its holdings in shares of Strategic Education by 7.6% in the first quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 2,225,778 shares of the health services provider's stock worth $199,942,000 after buying an additional 157,880 shares during the last quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Strategic Education by 30.2% in the fourth quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,087,347 shares of the health services provider's stock worth $163,482,000 after buying an additional 484,022 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its stake in shares of Strategic Education by 5.2% during the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,334,695 shares of the health services provider's stock worth $123,287,000 after buying an additional 65,507 shares during the period. Finally, Burgundy Asset Management Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of Strategic Education by 2.1% during the fourth quarter. Burgundy Asset Management Ltd. now owns 1,137,961 shares of the health services provider's stock valued at $105,113,000 after buying an additional 23,794 shares during the last quarter. 93.27% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Strategic Education Company Profile

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.