Strategic Education (NASDAQ:STRA) Stock Rating Upgraded by Wall Street Zen

Key Points

• Wall Street Zen upgraded Strategic Education (NASDAQ:STRA) from “hold” to “buy,” adding to a mixed but generally positive analyst picture. MarketBeat says the stock currently carries an average rating of “Moderate Buy” with an average target price of $87.00.
• The stock was down 0.6% to $76.75, leaving it below both its 50-day and 200-day moving averages. It also trades well below its 52-week high of $93.45, with a market cap of $1.74 billion and a beta of 0.52.
• Strategic Education missed quarterly earnings and revenue estimates, reporting $1.42 EPS versus $1.51 expected and revenue of $305.93 million versus $329.81 million expected. Despite that miss, insiders recently bought shares, and institutional ownership remains high at 93.27%.

Strategic Education (NASDAQ:STRA - Get Free Report) was upgraded by investment analysts at Wall Street Zen from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note issued on Sunday.

STRA has been the topic of a number of other research reports. Truist Financial cut their target price on shares of Strategic Education from $85.00 to $80.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 27th. Barrington Research decreased their price objective on shares of Strategic Education from $105.00 to $95.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 23rd. BMO Capital Markets decreased their price objective on shares of Strategic Education from $95.00 to $86.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 27th. Weiss Ratings reissued a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Strategic Education in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Finally, Zacks Research raised shares of Strategic Education from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Monday, March 2nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have given a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $87.00.

Strategic Education Stock Down 0.6%

NASDAQ:STRA opened at $76.75 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $1.74 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.56, a P/E/G ratio of 0.71 and a beta of 0.52. Strategic Education has a fifty-two week low of $69.70 and a fifty-two week high of $93.45. The firm's 50 day moving average is $80.26 and its two-hundred day moving average is $80.42.

Strategic Education (NASDAQ:STRA - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 23rd. The health services provider reported $1.42 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.51 by ($0.09). Strategic Education had a return on equity of 8.78% and a net margin of 10.21%.The company had revenue of $305.93 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $329.81 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.30 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up .8% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts forecast that Strategic Education will post 7.2 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other news, Chairman Robert S. Silberman acquired 718 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 13th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $80.82 per share, for a total transaction of $58,028.76. Following the transaction, the chairman directly owned 319,870 shares in the company, valued at $25,851,893.40. This trade represents a 0.22% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Michael Thawley acquired 665 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, April 24th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $72.71 per share, for a total transaction of $48,352.15. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 12,154 shares in the company, valued at $883,717.34. The trade was a 5.79% increase in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 23,580 shares of company stock valued at $1,916,624. 3.60% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Strategic Education

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Bastion Asset Management Inc. bought a new stake in Strategic Education in the 3rd quarter valued at about $1,175,000. Teacher Retirement System of Texas lifted its position in Strategic Education by 302.6% in the 4th quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas now owns 63,667 shares of the health services provider's stock valued at $5,106,000 after purchasing an additional 47,853 shares during the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC lifted its position in Strategic Education by 438.8% in the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 61,531 shares of the health services provider's stock valued at $4,935,000 after purchasing an additional 50,110 shares during the last quarter. Ellsworth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Strategic Education in the 4th quarter valued at about $6,057,000. Finally, Victory Capital Management Inc. lifted its position in Strategic Education by 15.0% in the 3rd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 119,538 shares of the health services provider's stock valued at $10,281,000 after purchasing an additional 15,579 shares during the last quarter. 93.27% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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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