Strategic Education (NASDAQ:STRA) Sets New 52-Week Low - Here's What Happened

Key Points

• Strategic Education Inc. (NASDAQ:STRA) recently reached a new 52-week low of $73.07, with the stock last trading at $75.91 and a trading volume of 41,311 shares.
• Analysts have set price targets for Strategic Education, with Truist Financial and Barrington Research both assigning a price target of $105.00, while BMO Capital Markets raised their target to $98.00.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.60 per share, translating to an annualized dividend yield of 3.10% and a payout ratio of 51.28%.

Strategic Education Inc. (NASDAQ:STRA - Get Free Report)'s share price reached a new 52-week low on Wednesday . The stock traded as low as $73.07 and last traded at $75.91, with a volume of 41311 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $79.45.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have weighed in on STRA. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Strategic Education from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday. Barrington Research reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $105.00 price target on shares of Strategic Education in a report on Wednesday. Truist Financial set a $105.00 price target on shares of Strategic Education in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lowered their price target on shares of Strategic Education from $98.00 to $88.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Friday.

Strategic Education Stock Up 1.0%

The company's fifty day moving average price is $83.43 and its 200 day moving average price is $86.48. The company has a market capitalization of $1.79 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.57, a PEG ratio of 0.88 and a beta of 0.58.

Strategic Education (NASDAQ:STRA - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, July 30th. The health services provider reported $1.52 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.42 by $0.10. Strategic Education had a net margin of 9.27% and a return on equity of 7.52%. The company had revenue of $321.47 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $322.84 million. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.33 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 2.9% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts predict that Strategic Education Inc. will post 4.79 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Strategic Education Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 15th. Investors of record on Friday, September 5th will be paid a $0.60 dividend. This represents a $2.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 5th. Strategic Education's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 49.90%.

Institutional Trading of Strategic Education

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its position in Strategic Education by 148.9% during the 2nd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 331 shares of the health services provider's stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 198 shares during the last quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC grew its position in Strategic Education by 809.1% during the 4th quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 700 shares of the health services provider's stock worth $65,000 after acquiring an additional 623 shares during the last quarter. Kestra Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in Strategic Education during the 1st quarter worth $82,000. Covestor Ltd grew its position in Strategic Education by 44.0% during the 4th quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 1,431 shares of the health services provider's stock worth $134,000 after acquiring an additional 437 shares during the last quarter. Finally, R Squared Ltd bought a new stake in Strategic Education during the 2nd quarter worth $202,000. 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.