Strategic Education (NASDAQ:STRA) Given New $90.00 Price Target at Truist Financial

Key Points

• Truist Financial raised Strategic Education’s price target to $90 from $80 while maintaining a “hold” rating, implying 5.86% upside. The broader analyst consensus remains “Hold,” with an average target of $95.33.
• Strategic Education’s shares fell 3.0% to $85.02 after quarterly results showed EPS of $1.76, below estimates of roughly $1.79–$1.80, although revenue rose 4.9% year over year and earnings increased from $1.54.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.60 per share, equivalent to $2.40 annually and an approximately 2.7% yield; institutional investors own 93.27% of the stock.

Strategic Education (NASDAQ:STRA - Get Free Report) had its price target raised by equities research analysts at Truist Financial from $80.00 to $90.00 in a research report issued on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a "hold" rating on the health services provider's stock. Truist Financial's price objective would suggest a potential upside of 5.86% from the stock's previous close.

A number of other equities research analysts also recently weighed in on the company. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Strategic Education in a report on Friday, July 17th. BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on shares of Strategic Education from $86.00 to $91.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, July 6th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Strategic Education from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 24th. Zacks Research cut shares of Strategic Education from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 2nd. Finally, Barrington Research set a $105.00 price objective on Strategic Education in a report on Wednesday. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $95.33.

Strategic Education Trading Down 3.0%

STRA stock traded down $2.60 during trading on Thursday, hitting $85.02. The company had a trading volume of 190,540 shares, compared to its average volume of 284,453. The stock has a market cap of $1.92 billion, a PE ratio of 15.05, a PEG ratio of 0.75 and a beta of 0.50. The business has a 50-day moving average of $78.81 and a 200-day moving average of $80.15. Strategic Education has a one year low of $69.70 and a one year high of $89.73.

Strategic Education (NASDAQ:STRA - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The health services provider reported $1.76 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.80 by ($0.04). Strategic Education had a return on equity of 8.78% and a net margin of 10.21%.The firm had revenue of $321.60 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $327.55 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.54 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 4.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts forecast that Strategic Education will post 7.2 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Strategic Education

In other Strategic Education news, insider Christa Hokenson sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $80.00, for a total transaction of $160,000.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 65,195 shares in the company, valued at $5,215,600. This represents a 2.98% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 3.60% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Strategic Education

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Orion Porfolio Solutions LLC grew its holdings in Strategic Education by 1.4% during the 3rd quarter. Orion Porfolio Solutions LLC now owns 9,367 shares of the health services provider's stock valued at $806,000 after buying an additional 129 shares in the last quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Strategic Education by 3.0% in the fourth quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 4,538 shares of the health services provider's stock worth $364,000 after buying an additional 133 shares during the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP grew its position in Strategic Education by 88.5% during the third quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 294 shares of the health services provider's stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 138 shares during the period. Osaic Holdings Inc. increased its holdings in Strategic Education by 85.2% during the second quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. now owns 387 shares of the health services provider's stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 178 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Hantz Financial Services Inc. raised its position in Strategic Education by 154.2% in the fourth quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 333 shares of the health services provider's stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 202 shares during the period. 93.27% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Key Stories Impacting Strategic Education

Here are the key news stories impacting Strategic Education this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Strategic Education reported second-quarter 2026 revenue of $337.3 million, up 4.9% year over year and above sales expectations in some market estimates. Growth was supported by the Education Technology Services segment, higher U.S. higher-education revenue per student and favorable foreign-exchange effects. Strategic Education Reports Second Quarter 2026 Results
• Positive Sentiment: Adjusted earnings increased to $1.76 per share from $1.54 a year earlier, while the company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.60 per share. The payout implies an annualized dividend of $2.40 and a yield of approximately 2.7%, providing additional shareholder support. Strategic Education Sets New 12-Month High After Dividend Announcement
• Neutral Sentiment: The dividend is payable September 14 to shareholders of record September 4, with the ex-dividend date also scheduled for September 4. Shares recently reached a new 12-month high, indicating strong momentum before the earnings reaction. Strategic Education Q2 2026 Earnings Call Summary
• Negative Sentiment: Second-quarter earnings of $1.76 per share fell short of consensus estimates near $1.79-$1.80. The miss, despite year-over-year earnings growth, appears to be the main reason investors are taking profits following the recent rally. Strategic Education Q2 Earnings Lag Estimates

About Strategic Education

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.