Strategic Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:STRA) Given Consensus Recommendation of "Buy" by Brokerages

Shares of Strategic Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:STRA - Get Free Report) have earned an average rating of "Buy" from the four analysts that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a buy recommendation. The average 12 month price target among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $126.00.

A number of research firms have commented on STRA. BMO Capital Markets decreased their price target on Strategic Education from $130.00 to $125.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, August 1st. Barrington Research restated an "outperform" rating and set a $135.00 price target on shares of Strategic Education in a research note on Thursday. Truist Financial decreased their price target on Strategic Education from $145.00 to $120.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Finally, StockNews.com cut Strategic Education from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, October 5th.

Institutional Trading of Strategic Education

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. increased its stake in Strategic Education by 38.2% in the third quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. now owns 33,577 shares of the health services provider's stock valued at $3,108,000 after purchasing an additional 9,277 shares during the last quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans raised its holdings in Strategic Education by 19.7% during the third quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 43,755 shares of the health services provider's stock worth $4,050,000 after purchasing an additional 7,203 shares in the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. raised its holdings in Strategic Education by 51.5% during the third quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 57,345 shares of the health services provider's stock worth $5,307,000 after purchasing an additional 19,483 shares in the last quarter. GSA Capital Partners LLP acquired a new stake in Strategic Education during the third quarter worth approximately $323,000. Finally, Versor Investments LP raised its holdings in Strategic Education by 111.8% during the third quarter. Versor Investments LP now owns 4,113 shares of the health services provider's stock worth $381,000 after purchasing an additional 2,171 shares in the last quarter. 93.27% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Strategic Education Price Performance

NASDAQ:STRA traded up $1.40 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $99.91. 280,404 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 130,340. The company has a market cap of $2.46 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.23, a P/E/G ratio of 1.38 and a beta of 0.57. Strategic Education has a 52-week low of $85.11 and a 52-week high of $123.62. The company has a current ratio of 1.57, a quick ratio of 1.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $90.67 and its 200 day moving average price is $103.07.

Strategic Education (NASDAQ:STRA - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 7th. The health services provider reported $1.16 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.81 by $0.35. The company had revenue of $305.96 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $301.62 million. Strategic Education had a return on equity of 7.47% and a net margin of 9.84%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 7.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.97 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Strategic Education will post 4.65 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Strategic Education Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 9th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 2nd will be paid a $0.60 dividend. This represents a $2.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.40%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 2nd. Strategic Education's payout ratio is currently 49.28%.

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.