BMO Capital Markets Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for Strategic Education (NASDAQ:STRA) Stock

Strategic Education (NASDAQ:STRA) had its price objective hoisted by equities researchers at BMO Capital Markets from $97.00 to $98.00 in a note issued to investors on Monday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an “outperform” rating on the health services provider’s stock. BMO Capital Markets’ price objective suggests a potential upside of 19.24% from the stock’s previous close.

Other research analysts have also issued research reports about the company. Barrington Research reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $120.00 target price on shares of Strategic Education in a report on Tuesday, April 15th. StockNews.com raised shares of Strategic Education from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Finally, Truist Financial set a $105.00 target price on shares of Strategic Education in a research note on Thursday, April 24th.

Strategic Education Price Performance

Shares of Strategic Education stock opened at $82.19 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.66, a PEG ratio of 1.22 and a beta of 0.58. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $82.42 and its 200-day simple moving average is $91.00. Strategic Education has a 12 month low of $74.28 and a 12 month high of $123.62.

Strategic Education (NASDAQ:STRA) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The health services provider reported $1.30 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.01 by $0.29. Strategic Education had a net margin of 10.44% and a return on equity of 7.61%. The business had revenue of $303.59 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $300.67 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.11 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts anticipate that Strategic Education will post 4.79 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at Strategic Education

In other news, Director Michael A. Mcrobbie acquired 600 shares of Strategic Education stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 10th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $81.80 per share, with a total value of $49,080.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 6,135 shares in the company, valued at $501,843. This trade represents a 10.84 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CFO Daniel Wayne Jackson sold 6,025 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $97.83, for a total value of $589,425.75. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 81,756 shares in the company, valued at $7,998,189.48. This trade represents a 6.86 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 40,826 shares of company stock worth $3,945,093 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 3.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Strategic Education

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of STRA. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new position in Strategic Education during the third quarter worth $37,000. R Squared Ltd acquired a new position in Strategic Education in the 4th quarter valued at about $42,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in Strategic Education by 394.8% in the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 480 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $44,000 after purchasing an additional 383 shares in the last quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Strategic Education by 809.1% during the 4th quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 700 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $65,000 after purchasing an additional 623 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Pacer Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Strategic Education during the 4th quarter worth about $96,000. 93.27% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.