Raymond James Financial Inc. Acquires New Position in Strategic Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:STRA)

Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in shares of Strategic Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:STRA - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 18,278 shares of the health services provider's stock, valued at approximately $1,708,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. owned approximately 0.07% of Strategic Education as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new stake in Strategic Education in the 3rd quarter worth about $37,000. R Squared Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Strategic Education in the fourth quarter worth approximately $42,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its position in shares of Strategic Education by 394.8% during the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 480 shares of the health services provider's stock worth $44,000 after purchasing an additional 383 shares in the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in Strategic Education in the 4th quarter valued at $96,000. Finally, KBC Group NV raised its stake in Strategic Education by 53.3% in the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 1,044 shares of the health services provider's stock valued at $98,000 after purchasing an additional 363 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.27% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In other Strategic Education news, CEO Raymond Karl Mcdonnell sold 31,855 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the chief executive officer now owns 140,281 shares of the company's stock, valued at $13,723,690.23. The trade was a 18.51 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available 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 transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 81,756 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,998,189.48. This represents a 6.86 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 39,332 shares of company stock valued at $3,825,169 in the last quarter. Insiders own 3.30% of the company's stock.

Strategic Education Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ STRA traded down $1.18 during trading on Friday, hitting $81.07. 318,223 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 145,683. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $90.39 and a 200-day moving average price of $92.50. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.00 billion, a PE ratio of 15.44, a P/E/G ratio of 1.22 and a beta of 0.58. Strategic Education, Inc. has a 12-month low of $78.43 and a 12-month high of $123.62.

Strategic Education (NASDAQ:STRA - Get Free Report) last issued 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 firm had revenue of $311.46 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $315.18 million. Strategic Education had a return on equity of 7.61% and a net margin of 10.44%. Research analysts anticipate that Strategic Education, Inc. will post 4.79 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Strategic Education Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Monday, March 10th were given a $0.60 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 10th. This represents a $2.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.96%. Strategic Education's payout ratio is 51.39%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

STRA has been the subject of a number of research reports. 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. StockNews.com cut shares of Strategic Education from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, March 6th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets decreased 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 note on Monday, March 3rd.

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.