Strategic Education (NASDAQ:STRA) Stock Price Crosses Above Two Hundred Day Moving Average - Here's What Happened

Key Points

• Shares recently crossed above their 200-day moving average of $80.92, trading as high as $83.47 and last at $82.46 on volume of 299,917.
• Strategic Education beat quarterly EPS estimates ($1.74 vs. $1.47) while revenue missed ($311.46M vs. $322.29M); revenue was up 3.8% year‑over‑year and analysts expect about 4.79 EPS for the year.
• Analysts' consensus is a Moderate Buy with an average target of $92.67, even as insiders (including the CEO and CFO) sold a combined 62,420 shares (~$4.84M) in the past 90 days.

Strategic Education Inc. (NASDAQ:STRA - Get Free Report) shares crossed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Thursday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $80.92 and traded as high as $83.47. Strategic Education shares last traded at $82.46, with a volume of 299,917 shares.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on STRA shares. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Strategic Education in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Strategic Education from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. Truist Financial downgraded shares of Strategic Education from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and decreased their target price for the stock from $95.00 to $85.00 in a research note on Tuesday, March 24th. Barrington Research reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $105.00 target price on shares of Strategic Education in a research note on Monday, January 26th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Strategic Education from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, March 28th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have issued a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $92.67.

Strategic Education Price Performance

The stock has a market cap of $1.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.21, a P/E/G ratio of 0.80 and a beta of 0.53. The stock's 50-day moving average is $80.64 and its 200 day moving average is $80.92.

Strategic Education (NASDAQ:STRA - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 26th. The health services provider reported $1.74 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 company had revenue of $311.46 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $322.29 million. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.27 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 3.8% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts anticipate that Strategic Education Inc. will post 4.79 EPS for the current year.

Strategic Education Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 9th were given a dividend of $0.60 per share. This represents a $2.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.9%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 9th. Strategic Education's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 44.28%.

Insider Activity at Strategic Education

In other news, CEO Raymond Karl Mcdonnell sold 38,840 shares of Strategic Education stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $75.35, for a total transaction of $2,926,594.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 106,332 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,012,116.20. This trade represents a 26.75% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CFO Daniel Wayne Jackson sold 13,000 shares of Strategic Education stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $82.37, for a total transaction of $1,070,810.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 100,096 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $8,244,907.52. The trade was a 11.49% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 62,420 shares of company stock valued at $4,843,218 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 3.60% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Strategic Education

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Bank of Montreal Can lifted its position in shares of Strategic Education by 62,355.4% during the 4th quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 1,467,702 shares of the health services provider's stock valued at $117,710,000 after acquiring an additional 1,465,352 shares during the period. State Street Corp increased its stake in shares of Strategic Education by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 881,089 shares of the health services provider's stock worth $70,663,000 after purchasing an additional 6,737 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Strategic Education by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 609,040 shares of the health services provider's stock worth $48,853,000 after purchasing an additional 1,579 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Strategic Education by 3.6% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 351,969 shares of the health services provider's stock worth $28,228,000 after purchasing an additional 12,244 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership increased its stake in shares of Strategic Education by 27.0% during the 3rd quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 332,767 shares of the health services provider's stock worth $28,621,000 after purchasing an additional 70,732 shares in the last quarter. 93.27% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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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