Principal Financial Group Inc. Buys 3,800 Shares of Strategic Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:STRA)

Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Strategic Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:STRA - Free Report) by 3.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 124,428 shares of the health services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 3,800 shares during the quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned approximately 0.51% of Strategic Education worth $11,624,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC bought a new position in Strategic Education during the 3rd quarter worth $55,000. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System lifted its holdings in shares of Strategic Education by 7.3% during the 3rd quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System now owns 11,800 shares of the health services provider's stock worth $1,092,000 after acquiring an additional 800 shares during the period. State of Alaska Department of Revenue boosted its holdings in shares of Strategic Education by 8.0% in the 3rd quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 13,911 shares of the health services provider's stock valued at $1,287,000 after purchasing an additional 1,036 shares in the last quarter. New York State Teachers Retirement System boosted its stake in Strategic Education by 2.5% in the third quarter. New York State Teachers Retirement System now owns 37,830 shares of the health services provider's stock valued at $3,501,000 after buying an additional 932 shares in the last quarter. Finally, US Bancorp DE grew its holdings in shares of Strategic Education by 12.8% during the 3rd quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 1,938 shares of the health services provider's stock valued at $179,000 after purchasing an additional 220 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.27% of the company's stock.

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Strategic Education Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:STRA traded up $0.33 during trading on Monday, reaching $80.86. 187,623 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 129,444. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $96.33 and a two-hundred day moving average of $94.75. Strategic Education, Inc. has a 1-year low of $78.43 and a 1-year high of $123.62. The firm has a market cap of $1.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.37, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.22 and a beta of 0.59.

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

Strategic Education Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 10th will be paid a dividend of $0.60 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 10th. This represents a $2.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.97%. Strategic Education's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 51.39%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on STRA shares. StockNews.com raised Strategic Education from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. BMO Capital Markets cut their price target 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. Finally, Barrington Research lowered their price objective on shares of Strategic Education from $135.00 to $120.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $115.25.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CFO Daniel Wayne Jackson sold 6,025 shares of the company'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 $589,425.75. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 81,756 shares in the company, valued at $7,998,189.48. This represents a 6.86 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing 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 dated Tuesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $97.83, for a total transaction of $3,116,374.65. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 140,281 shares in the company, valued at $13,723,690.23. The trade was a 18.51 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 3.10% of the company's stock.

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.