Raymond Karl Mcdonnell Sells 38,840 Shares of Strategic Education (NASDAQ:STRA) Stock

Strategic Education Inc. (NASDAQ:STRA) CEO Raymond Karl Mcdonnell sold 38,840 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $75.35, for a total value of $2,926,594.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 106,332 shares in the company, valued at $8,012,116.20. This trade represents a 26.75% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink.

Strategic Education Stock Performance

STRA opened at $82.28 on Friday. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $81.07 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $80.73. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.18, a P/E/G ratio of 0.81 and a beta of 0.55. Strategic Education Inc. has a 52-week low of $72.17 and a 52-week high of $93.45.

Strategic Education (NASDAQ:STRA) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 26th. The health services provider reported $1.74 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.47 by $0.27. The firm had revenue of $311.46 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $322.29 million. Strategic Education had a net margin of 9.98% and a return on equity of 8.73%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 3.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.27 earnings per share. Research analysts forecast that Strategic Education Inc. will post 4.79 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Strategic Education Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 9th will be issued a dividend of $0.60 per share. This represents a $2.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 9th. Strategic Education’s dividend payout ratio is presently 44.28%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have weighed in on STRA. Barrington Research reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $105.00 target price on shares of Strategic Education in a report on Monday, January 26th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Strategic Education in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Strategic Education from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Saturday. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $99.33.

Institutional Trading of Strategic Education

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Bank of Montreal Can lifted its position in shares of Strategic Education by 62,355.4% during the 4th quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 1,467,702 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $117,710,000 after buying an additional 1,465,352 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Strategic Education by 188.6% during the second quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 245,296 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $20,882,000 after purchasing an additional 160,303 shares in the last quarter. Lightrock Netherlands B.V. lifted its holdings in Strategic Education by 155.7% during the third quarter. Lightrock Netherlands B.V. now owns 234,719 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $20,188,000 after purchasing an additional 142,915 shares in the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Strategic Education by 115.4% in the third quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 216,117 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $18,588,000 after purchasing an additional 115,801 shares during the period. Finally, Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Strategic Education in the second quarter worth $9,615,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.27% of the company’s stock.

More Strategic Education News

Here are the key news stories impacting Strategic Education this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 EPS beat — STRA reported $1.74 EPS vs. a $1.47 consensus, driving upside to estimates and supporting the stock. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Management announced an additional $70M of AI-driven expense savings through 2027 and plans to expand employer-focused enrollment channels — a structural margin lever that supports longer‑term profitability. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend declared — a $0.60 quarterly payout (ex-dividend March 9, paid March 16) yields ~3.0% and increases income appeal for yield-seeking investors.
• Neutral Sentiment: Top-line mixed — revenue of $311.46M was up 3.8% YoY but came in below analyst expectations (~$322.3M), leaving the growth outlook ambiguous despite the EPS beat. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Earnings materials available — full Q4 2025 call transcript and slide deck give detail on enrollment trends, margin drivers and the rollout of cost savings for investors who want management color. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Enrollment headwinds flagged — coverage highlights risk that weaker enrollments could constrain future revenue growth and limit the benefit of margin initiatives. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling — CEO Raymond McDonnell sold 38,840 shares (~$2.93M) late February, cutting his stake by ~26.8%, which some investors may view as a negative signal. Read More.

About Strategic Education

Strategic Education, Inc is a publicly traded higher education services holding company headquartered in Herndon, Virginia. Through its primary operating subsidiaries, Strayer University and Capella University, the company delivers degree programs and professional development opportunities to working adults. Its offerings span undergraduate and graduate degrees, certificates, continuing education, and workforce training in fields such as business, technology, health services, education, and public administration.

Strayer University, with a network of physical campuses across the United States complemented by an online platform, provides associate’s through doctoral degrees designed to accommodate non-traditional students.