StockNews.com Upgrades Strategic Education (NASDAQ:STRA) to Buy

Strategic Education (NASDAQ:STRA - Get Free Report) was upgraded by equities research analysts at StockNews.com from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a note issued to investors on Wednesday.

Separately, Barrington Research restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $135.00 price target on shares of Strategic Education in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $122.25.

Strategic Education Trading Up 0.9 %

NASDAQ:STRA traded up $0.73 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $80.53. 248,652 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 129,107. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.34, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.22 and a beta of 0.59. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $96.33 and a two-hundred day moving average of $94.75. Strategic Education has a 12 month low of $78.62 and a 12 month high of $123.62.

Strategic Education (NASDAQ:STRA - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly 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 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%. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Strategic Education will post 4.79 earnings per share for the current year.

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Insider Buying and Selling

In other Strategic Education news, CFO Daniel Wayne Jackson sold 6,025 shares of Strategic Education stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $97.83, for a total transaction of $589,425.75. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 81,756 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,998,189.48. The trade was a 6.86 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction 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 the 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 completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 140,281 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $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. 3.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Strategic Education

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of STRA. Handelsbanken Fonder AB lifted its holdings in shares of Strategic Education by 17.8% during the fourth quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 5,960 shares of the health services provider's stock valued at $557,000 after acquiring an additional 900 shares during the period. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans increased its position in shares of Strategic Education by 19.7% during the 3rd 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its holdings in Strategic Education by 76.7% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 399,144 shares of the health services provider's stock valued at $36,941,000 after purchasing an additional 173,225 shares during the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its position in Strategic Education by 11.5% in the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 120,628 shares of the health services provider's stock worth $11,164,000 after purchasing an additional 12,437 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC raised its position in shares of Strategic Education by 1,337.4% during the fourth quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 8,495 shares of the health services provider's stock worth $794,000 after acquiring an additional 7,904 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.27% of the company's stock.

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.