Vanguard Group Inc. Purchases 45,421 Shares of Strategic Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:STRA)

Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in Strategic Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:STRA - Free Report) by 1.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,793,685 shares of the health services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 45,421 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. owned about 11.37% of Strategic Education worth $260,986,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of STRA. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS purchased a new position in Strategic Education in the fourth quarter worth $701,000. American Century Companies Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Strategic Education by 19.5% in the 4th quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 37,874 shares of the health services provider's stock worth $3,538,000 after buying an additional 6,180 shares during the last quarter. Semanteon Capital Management LP grew its position in Strategic Education by 2.7% during the fourth quarter. Semanteon Capital Management LP now owns 12,771 shares of the health services provider's stock valued at $1,193,000 after buying an additional 336 shares during the period. Teacher Retirement System of Texas increased its holdings in Strategic Education by 1.9% during the fourth quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas now owns 19,772 shares of the health services provider's stock worth $1,847,000 after buying an additional 368 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Swiss National Bank raised its position in Strategic Education by 0.7% in the fourth quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 46,038 shares of the health services provider's stock worth $4,301,000 after acquiring an additional 300 shares during the period. 93.27% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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Strategic Education Stock Performance

STRA stock traded up $4.35 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $81.44. 242,821 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 147,718. Strategic Education, Inc. has a 52 week low of $76.07 and a 52 week high of $123.62. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $88.50 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $92.00. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.01 billion, a PE ratio of 15.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.22 and a beta of 0.58.

Strategic Education (NASDAQ:STRA - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 27th. The health services provider reported $1.27 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.37 by ($0.10). The company 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%. As a group, analysts predict that Strategic Education, Inc. will post 4.79 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Strategic Education Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Monday, March 10th were paid a dividend of $0.60 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 10th. This represents a $2.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.95%. Strategic Education's dividend payout ratio is currently 51.39%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on STRA shares. BMO Capital Markets lowered their price target 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 cut Strategic Education from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, March 6th. Finally, Barrington Research decreased their price objective on Strategic Education from $135.00 to $120.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, February 27th.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, General Counsel Lizette Benedi Herraiz sold 1,452 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $82.21, for a total transaction of $119,368.92. Following the completion of the transaction, the general counsel now directly owns 61,716 shares in the company, valued at $5,073,672.36. The trade was a 2.30 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Michael A. Mcrobbie purchased 600 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 10th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $81.80 per share, for a total transaction of $49,080.00. Following the acquisition, the director now 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. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 39,332 shares of company stock valued at $3,825,169. Company insiders own 3.30% of the company's stock.

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.