Norges Bank Purchases Shares of 168,215 Strategic Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:STRA)

Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Strategic Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:STRA - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 168,215 shares of the health services provider's stock, valued at approximately $15,715,000. Norges Bank owned about 0.68% of Strategic Education as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Handelsbanken Fonder AB raised its holdings in Strategic Education by 17.8% during the fourth quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 5,960 shares of the health services provider's stock worth $557,000 after purchasing an additional 900 shares in the last quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Strategic Education by 1,337.4% in the 4th quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 8,495 shares of the health services provider's stock valued at $794,000 after buying an additional 7,904 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its stake in shares of Strategic Education by 76.7% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 399,144 shares of the health services provider's stock valued at $36,941,000 after buying an additional 173,225 shares in the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its position in Strategic Education by 11.5% in the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 120,628 shares of the health services provider's stock worth $11,164,000 after acquiring an additional 12,437 shares in the last quarter. Finally, HighTower Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Strategic Education by 9.8% in the third quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 2,448 shares of the health services provider's stock valued at $228,000 after acquiring an additional 218 shares during the period. 93.27% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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Insider Buying and Selling

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

Strategic Education Stock Performance

NASDAQ STRA traded down $0.86 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $77.79. The company's stock had a trading volume of 220,770 shares, compared to its average volume of 149,382. The company's 50-day moving average is $87.65 and its two-hundred day moving average is $91.81. Strategic Education, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $76.20 and a fifty-two week high of $123.62. The stock has a market cap of $1.92 billion, a PE ratio of 14.82, a PEG ratio of 1.22 and a beta of 0.58.

Strategic Education (NASDAQ:STRA - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 27th. The health services provider reported $1.27 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.37 by ($0.10). Strategic Education had a net margin of 10.44% and a return on equity of 7.61%. The business had revenue of $311.46 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $315.18 million. Equities analysts expect that Strategic Education, Inc. will post 4.79 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Strategic Education Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Monday, March 10th were paid a dividend of $0.60 per share. This represents a $2.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.09%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 10th. Strategic Education's payout ratio is currently 51.39%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on STRA shares. BMO Capital Markets cut their price target on shares of Strategic Education from $114.00 to $97.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Monday, March 3rd. Barrington Research dropped their target price on shares of Strategic Education from $135.00 to $120.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, February 27th. Finally, StockNews.com cut Strategic Education from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, March 6th.

Strategic Education 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.