Strategic Education Inc. (NASDAQ:STRA) Given Consensus Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by Analysts

Key Points

• Analysts rate STRA a "Moderate Buy" — five analysts average a 12‑month target of $92.67 (two holds, two buys, one strong buy).
• Mixed quarterly results: EPS beat at $1.74 vs. $1.47 expected, but revenue missed at $311.46M vs. $322.29M; revenue rose 3.8% year‑over‑year and analysts forecast ~4.79 EPS for the fiscal year.
• Insider moves and dividend: Chairman Robert Silberman bought 718 shares while the CFO sold 13,000 shares recently, and the company pays a $0.60 quarterly dividend ($2.40 annual, ~2.9% yield).

Shares of Strategic Education Inc. (NASDAQ:STRA - Get Free Report) have been assigned a consensus recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the five analysts that are covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, two have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average twelve-month target price among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $92.6667.

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Truist Financial lowered shares of Strategic Education from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and lowered their price target for the company from $95.00 to $85.00 in a report on Tuesday, March 24th. Zacks Research raised shares of Strategic Education from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Monday, March 2nd. Barrington Research reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $105.00 price target on shares of Strategic Education in a report on Monday, January 26th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Strategic Education from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Saturday. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Strategic Education in a report on Thursday, January 22nd.

Insider Activity

In other news, Chairman Robert S. Silberman bought 718 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 13th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $80.82 per share, with a total value of $58,028.76. Following the acquisition, the chairman owned 319,870 shares in the company, valued at $25,851,893.40. This trade represents a 0.22% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CFO Daniel Wayne Jackson sold 13,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $82.37, for a total transaction of $1,070,810.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 100,096 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,244,907.52. The trade was a 11.49% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 62,420 shares of company stock worth $4,843,218 in the last quarter. 3.60% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Strategic Education

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in STRA. Blue Trust Inc. acquired a new position in Strategic Education during the 3rd quarter worth about $25,000. Allworth Financial LP lifted its position in 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 purchasing an additional 138 shares during the period. Hantz Financial Services Inc. lifted its position in Strategic Education by 154.2% during the 4th 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 during the period. Osaic Holdings Inc. lifted its position in Strategic Education by 85.2% during the 2nd quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. now owns 387 shares of the health services provider's stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 178 shares during the period. Finally, Sankala Group LLC acquired a new position in Strategic Education during the 4th quarter valued at about $37,000. Institutional investors own 93.27% of the company's stock.

Strategic Education Trading Up 1.6%

Shares of STRA stock opened at $83.21 on Friday. Strategic Education has a 1 year low of $72.17 and a 1 year high of $93.45. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $80.46 and its 200 day simple moving average is $80.78. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.35, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.78 and a beta of 0.53.

Strategic Education (NASDAQ:STRA - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 26th. The health services provider reported $1.74 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.47 by $0.27. Strategic Education had a net margin of 9.98% and a return on equity of 8.75%. The business had revenue of $311.46 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $322.29 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.27 earnings per share. Strategic Education's revenue was up 3.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts anticipate that Strategic Education will post 4.79 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Strategic Education Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 9th were paid a $0.60 dividend. This represents a $2.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.9%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 9th. Strategic Education's payout ratio is currently 44.28%.

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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