Barclays PLC Purchases 76,804 Shares of Strategic Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:STRA)

Barclays PLC lifted its position in Strategic Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:STRA - Free Report) by 202.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 114,765 shares of the health services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 76,804 shares during the period. Barclays PLC owned 0.47% of Strategic Education worth $10,720,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Sterling Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Strategic Education by 809.1% in the fourth quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 700 shares of the health services provider's stock worth $65,000 after purchasing an additional 623 shares in the last quarter. Covestor Ltd increased its stake in shares of Strategic Education by 44.0% in 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 in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in Strategic Education during the 4th quarter valued at about $1,708,000. Legal & General Group Plc boosted its stake in Strategic Education by 2.5% during the fourth quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 69,688 shares of the health services provider's stock worth $6,510,000 after acquiring an additional 1,674 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. grew its holdings in Strategic Education by 5.5% in the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 152,828 shares of the health services provider's stock worth $14,277,000 after purchasing an additional 7,923 shares during the period. 93.27% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

STRA has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Barrington Research reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $120.00 price target on shares of Strategic Education in a research report on Tuesday, April 15th. StockNews.com downgraded Strategic Education from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, March 6th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets cut their target price on Strategic Education from $114.00 to $97.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, March 3rd.

Strategic Education Stock Up 1.4 %

Shares of STRA opened at $78.73 on Wednesday. Strategic Education, Inc. has a twelve month low of $74.28 and a twelve month high of $123.62. The company has a market capitalization of $1.94 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.00, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.22 and a beta of 0.58. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $84.61 and a 200 day moving average of $91.23.

Strategic Education (NASDAQ:STRA - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 27th. The health services provider reported $1.27 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.37 by ($0.10). The business had revenue of $311.46 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $315.18 million. Strategic Education had a return on equity of 7.61% and a net margin of 10.44%. On average, sell-side analysts expect 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 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 10th were issued a dividend of $0.60 per share. This represents a $2.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.05%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 10th. Strategic Education's payout ratio is presently 51.39%.

Insider Transactions at Strategic Education

In related news, CFO Daniel Wayne Jackson sold 6,025 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $97.83, for a total value of $589,425.75. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 81,756 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,998,189.48. This trade represents a 6.86 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Michael A. Mcrobbie bought 600 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, March 10th. The shares were bought at an average price of $81.80 per share, with a total value of $49,080.00. Following the completion of the purchase, 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 sold 39,332 shares of company stock worth $3,825,169 over the last three months. 3.30% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Strategic Education Company Profile

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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