Bridgewater Associates LP Has $2.78 Million Stock Position in Strategic Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:STRA)

Bridgewater Associates LP grew its position in Strategic Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:STRA - Free Report) by 12.8% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 29,708 shares of the health services provider's stock after buying an additional 3,368 shares during the period. Bridgewater Associates LP owned 0.12% of Strategic Education worth $2,775,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Barclays PLC increased its position in Strategic Education by 202.3% in the fourth quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 114,765 shares of the health services provider's stock worth $10,720,000 after purchasing an additional 76,804 shares during the period. Sterling Capital Management LLC lifted 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 valued at $65,000 after purchasing an additional 623 shares during the period. Covestor Ltd lifted 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 valued at $134,000 after purchasing an additional 437 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in Strategic Education during the 4th quarter valued at about $1,708,000. Finally, Legal & General Group Plc lifted its position in Strategic Education by 2.5% during the 4th quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 69,688 shares of the health services provider's stock valued at $6,510,000 after purchasing an additional 1,674 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 93.27% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Strategic Education

In other Strategic Education news, CFO Daniel Wayne Jackson sold 6,025 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $97.83, for a total transaction of $589,425.75. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 81,756 shares of the company's stock, valued at $7,998,189.48. This trade represents a 6.86 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Raymond Karl Mcdonnell sold 31,855 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $97.83, for a total value of $3,116,374.65. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 140,281 shares of the company's stock, valued at $13,723,690.23. This represents a 18.51 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 39,332 shares of company stock valued at $3,825,169 in the last quarter. 3.30% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

Strategic Education Price Performance

Shares of STRA traded up $2.23 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $82.38. 63,032 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 152,998. The company has a market cap of $2.03 billion, a PE ratio of 15.60, a P/E/G ratio of 1.22 and a beta of 0.58. Strategic Education, Inc. has a 52 week low of $74.28 and a 52 week high of $123.62. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $84.17 and a 200 day simple moving average of $91.15.

Strategic Education (NASDAQ:STRA - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The health services provider reported $1.30 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.01 by $0.29. Strategic Education had a net margin of 10.44% and a return on equity of 7.61%. On average, analysts anticipate that Strategic Education, Inc. will post 4.79 earnings per share for the current year.

Strategic Education Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 2nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 23rd will be issued a dividend of $0.60 per share. This represents a $2.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.91%. Strategic Education's dividend payout ratio is 51.39%.

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.