Weiss Ratings Reiterates Hold (C) Rating for Strategic Education (NASDAQ:STRA)

Key Points

• Weiss Ratings has reaffirmed a "hold (c)" rating for Strategic Education (NASDAQ:STRA), indicating a cautious outlook for the stock.
• Several analysts have provided varied ratings for the stock, with Barrington Research maintaining an "outperform" rating and a price target of $105, while Wall Street Zen upgraded it to a "buy" rating.
• Strategic Education reported earnings of $1.52 per share, surpassing estimates, and its revenue increased by 2.9% year-over-year, although it fell slightly short of analyst expectations.

Strategic Education (NASDAQ:STRA - Get Free Report)'s stock had its "hold (c)" rating reaffirmed by research analysts at Weiss Ratings in a note issued to investors on Wednesday,Weiss Ratings reports.

Other research analysts have also recently issued reports about the stock. Barrington Research reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $105.00 price target on shares of Strategic Education in a research report on Wednesday, July 30th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Strategic Education from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, September 13th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Strategic Education in a report on Monday, September 8th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $99.33.

Strategic Education Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ STRA opened at $80.84 on Wednesday. Strategic Education has a 1 year low of $72.25 and a 1 year high of $104.51. The stock has a market cap of $1.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.81, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.94 and a beta of 0.67. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $81.13 and a 200 day moving average of $82.77.

Strategic Education (NASDAQ:STRA - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 30th. The health services provider reported $1.52 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates 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 during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $322.84 million. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.33 EPS. Strategic Education's revenue was up 2.9% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts expect that Strategic Education will post 4.79 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director G Thomas Waite III sold 700 shares of Strategic Education stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $81.69, for a total value of $57,183.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 15,926 shares in the company, valued at $1,300,994.94. The trade was a 4.21% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CFO Daniel Wayne Jackson purchased 1,900 shares of Strategic Education stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 29th. The stock was bought at an average price of $81.50 per share, with a total value of $154,850.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief financial officer directly owned 104,136 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $8,487,084. This trade represents a 1.86% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders own 3.30% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Strategic Education

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in STRA. Nuveen LLC bought a new stake in Strategic Education during the first quarter valued at approximately $31,497,000. Burgundy Asset Management Ltd. grew its position in Strategic Education by 17.3% during the first quarter. Burgundy Asset Management Ltd. now owns 1,475,831 shares of the health services provider's stock valued at $123,911,000 after buying an additional 217,151 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its position in Strategic Education by 188.6% during the second quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 245,296 shares of the health services provider's stock valued at $20,882,000 after buying an additional 160,303 shares during the period. Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC bought a new stake in Strategic Education during the second quarter valued at approximately $9,615,000. Finally, Cerity Partners LLC grew its position in Strategic Education by 1,939.3% during the second quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 114,954 shares of the health services provider's stock valued at $9,786,000 after buying an additional 109,317 shares during the period. 93.27% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.

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