Strategic Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:STRA) Shares Sold by Renaissance Technologies LLC

Renaissance Technologies LLC lessened its stake in Strategic Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:STRA - Free Report) by 4.1% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 215,818 shares of the health services provider's stock after selling 9,220 shares during the quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC owned about 0.88% of Strategic Education worth $20,162,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in STRA. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new position in shares of Strategic Education during the 3rd quarter valued at about $37,000. R Squared Ltd acquired a new stake in Strategic Education during the fourth quarter worth about $42,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its stake in 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 during the period. Pacer Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in Strategic Education in the 4th quarter valued at about $96,000. Finally, KBC Group NV raised its position in shares of Strategic Education by 53.3% during the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 1,044 shares of the health services provider's stock valued at $98,000 after buying an additional 363 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.27% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently commented on STRA. Barrington Research reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $120.00 price target on shares of Strategic Education in a research note on Tuesday. StockNews.com cut shares of Strategic Education from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, March 6th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets decreased their price objective on shares of Strategic Education from $114.00 to $97.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, March 3rd.

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Strategic Education Trading Up 1.7 %

Strategic Education stock traded up $1.30 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $78.56. 288,168 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 151,085. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $86.75 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $91.61. Strategic Education, Inc. has a 12-month low of $74.28 and a 12-month high of $123.62. The firm has a market cap of $1.94 billion, a PE ratio of 14.96, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.22 and a beta of 0.58.

Strategic Education (NASDAQ:STRA - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 27th. The health services provider reported $1.27 earnings per share 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 analyst estimates of $315.18 million. Strategic Education had a net margin of 10.44% and a return on equity of 7.61%. Equities research analysts anticipate that Strategic Education, Inc. will post 4.79 earnings per share for the current year.

Strategic Education Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 10th were given 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 of this dividend was Monday, March 10th. Strategic Education's dividend payout ratio is currently 51.39%.

Insider Activity at Strategic Education

In other news, General Counsel Lizette Benedi Herraiz sold 1,452 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $82.21, for a total value of $119,368.92. Following the sale, the general counsel now directly owns 61,716 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,073,672.36. This trade represents a 2.30 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Raymond Karl Mcdonnell sold 31,855 shares of Strategic Education stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $97.83, for a total transaction 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 approximately $13,723,690.23. This trade represents a 18.51 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 39,332 shares of company stock worth $3,825,169. Company insiders own 3.30% 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.