Van Lanschot Kempen Investment Management N.V. Buys 70,743 Shares of Strategic Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:STRA)

Van Lanschot Kempen Investment Management N.V. boosted its stake in Strategic Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:STRA - Free Report) by 12.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 618,286 shares of the health services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 70,743 shares during the quarter. Van Lanschot Kempen Investment Management N.V. owned about 2.52% of Strategic Education worth $57,760,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new position in Strategic Education during the 3rd quarter worth $37,000. R Squared Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Strategic Education during the fourth quarter worth $42,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Strategic Education by 394.8% in the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 480 shares of the health services provider's stock worth $44,000 after buying an additional 383 shares during the last quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Strategic Education by 809.1% in the 4th quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 700 shares of the health services provider's stock valued at $65,000 after buying an additional 623 shares during the period. Finally, Pacer Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Strategic Education during the 4th quarter valued at about $96,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.27% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Raymond Karl Mcdonnell sold 31,855 shares of the 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 completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 140,281 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,723,690.23. This trade represents a 18.51 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Michael A. Mcrobbie purchased 600 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 10th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $81.80 per share, with a total value of $49,080.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 6,135 shares in the company, valued at approximately $501,843. This represents a 10.84 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders sold 39,332 shares of company stock worth $3,825,169 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 3.30% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the stock. BMO Capital Markets cut their target price 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. StockNews.com lowered Strategic Education from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, March 6th. Finally, Barrington Research reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $120.00 target price on shares of Strategic Education in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th.

Strategic Education Trading Down 0.2 %

Shares of Strategic Education stock traded down $0.13 on Thursday, reaching $80.02. 263,777 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 153,985. Strategic Education, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $74.28 and a fifty-two week high of $123.62. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.24, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.22 and a beta of 0.58. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $83.72 and a 200-day moving average price of $91.11.

Strategic Education (NASDAQ:STRA - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The health services provider reported $1.30 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.01 by $0.29. Strategic Education had a net margin of 10.44% and a return on equity of 7.61%. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Strategic Education, Inc. will post 4.79 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Strategic Education Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 2nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 23rd will be paid a dividend of $0.60 per share. This represents a $2.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.00%. Strategic Education's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 51.39%.

About Strategic Education

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.