Strategic Education's (STRA) Outperform Rating Reiterated at Barrington Research

Strategic Education (NASDAQ:STRA - Get Free Report)'s stock had its "outperform" rating reiterated by equities researchers at Barrington Research in a research report issued on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. They currently have a $120.00 price target on the health services provider's stock. Barrington Research's price target would indicate a potential upside of 49.87% from the stock's previous close.

STRA has been the subject of a number of other research reports. BMO Capital Markets reduced their price objective on Strategic Education from $114.00 to $97.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, March 3rd. StockNews.com downgraded Strategic Education from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, March 6th.

Strategic Education Trading Up 1.8 %

Shares of NASDAQ:STRA traded up $1.40 on Tuesday, hitting $80.07. 154,754 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 152,011. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $85.52 and its 200 day moving average price is $91.37. Strategic Education has a 1-year low of $74.28 and a 1-year high of $123.62. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.22 and a beta of 0.58.

Strategic Education (NASDAQ:STRA - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 27th. The health services provider reported $1.27 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.37 by ($0.10). Strategic Education had a return on equity of 7.61% and a net margin of 10.44%. The firm had revenue of $311.46 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $315.18 million. On average, equities analysts predict that Strategic Education will post 4.79 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Strategic Education news, CEO Raymond Karl Mcdonnell sold 31,855 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $97.83, for a total value of $3,116,374.65. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 140,281 shares of the company's stock, valued at $13,723,690.23. This represents a 18.51 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Michael A. Mcrobbie acquired 600 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 10th. The stock was bought at an average price of $81.80 per share, for a total transaction of $49,080.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 6,135 shares in the company, valued at approximately $501,843. The trade was a 10.84 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders have sold 39,332 shares of company stock valued at $3,825,169 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 3.30% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in STRA. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Strategic Education by 1.7% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 2,793,685 shares of the health services provider's stock valued at $260,986,000 after buying an additional 45,421 shares during the period. Marshfield Associates grew its position in Strategic Education by 0.4% in the 4th quarter. Marshfield Associates now owns 1,836,491 shares of the health services provider's stock valued at $171,565,000 after acquiring an additional 6,869 shares in the last quarter. Burgundy Asset Management Ltd. lifted its position in shares of Strategic Education by 1.7% during the fourth quarter. Burgundy Asset Management Ltd. now owns 1,258,680 shares of the health services provider's stock worth $117,586,000 after purchasing an additional 20,456 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp boosted its stake in shares of Strategic Education by 6.1% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 890,133 shares of the health services provider's stock valued at $82,382,000 after purchasing an additional 50,980 shares during the period. Finally, Van Lanschot Kempen Investment Management N.V. grew its holdings in shares of Strategic Education by 12.9% in the fourth quarter. Van Lanschot Kempen Investment Management N.V. now owns 618,286 shares of the health services provider's stock valued at $57,760,000 after purchasing an additional 70,743 shares in the last quarter. 93.27% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.