Strategic Education (NASDAQ:STRA) Downgraded by Truist Financial to “Hold”

Truist Financial lowered shares of Strategic Education (NASDAQ:STRA) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report sent to investors on Tuesday morning, Marketbeat Ratings reports. The brokerage currently has $85.00 price objective on the health services provider’s stock, down from their prior price objective of $95.00.

Several other equities research analysts have also commented on the stock. Barrington Research reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $105.00 price target on shares of Strategic Education in a report on Monday, January 26th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Strategic Education from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 28th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Strategic Education in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, Zacks Research raised shares of Strategic Education from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have given a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $92.67.

Strategic Education Trading Down 2.5%

NASDAQ STRA opened at $81.75 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.08, a PEG ratio of 0.80 and a beta of 0.56. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $80.99 and a 200 day moving average of $80.84. Strategic Education has a twelve month low of $72.17 and a twelve month high of $93.45.

Strategic Education (NASDAQ:STRA) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 26th. The health services provider reported $1.74 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.47 by $0.27. The company had revenue of $311.46 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $322.29 million. Strategic Education had a return on equity of 8.75% and a net margin of 9.98%.Strategic Education’s quarterly revenue was up 3.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.27 earnings per share. Equities analysts predict that Strategic Education will post 4.79 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Strategic Education Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 9th were given a $0.60 dividend. This represents a $2.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.9%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 9th. Strategic Education’s dividend payout ratio is 44.28%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Strategic Education

In related news, General Counsel Lizette Benedi Herraiz sold 7,598 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $79.97, for a total transaction of $607,612.06. Following the transaction, the general counsel directly owned 58,562 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,683,203.14. The trade was a 11.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CFO Daniel Wayne Jackson sold 13,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $82.37, for a total transaction of $1,070,810.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 100,096 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,244,907.52. This represents a 11.49% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last three months, insiders sold 62,420 shares of company stock valued at $4,843,218. Corporate insiders own 3.60% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Strategic Education

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. lifted its position in Strategic Education by 305.3% during the fourth quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 616 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $49,000 after buying an additional 464 shares in the last quarter. Meadowbrook Advisors Group LLC purchased a new stake in Strategic Education in the 4th quarter valued at $678,000. Sankala Group LLC purchased a new stake in Strategic Education in the 4th quarter valued at $37,000. Pacer Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Strategic Education in the 4th quarter worth $5,059,000. Finally, Vident Advisory LLC increased its stake in shares of Strategic Education by 10.9% in the 4th quarter. Vident Advisory LLC now owns 28,385 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $2,276,000 after acquiring an additional 2,785 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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: Zacks added STRA to its March 24 list of value “Rank #1 (Strong Buy)” stocks — a signal some investors view as a buy/turnaround catalyst that can attract retail and quant flows. Best Value Stocks to Buy for March 24th
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks also included STRA on its March 24 “income” Rank #1 list, which could draw income-oriented investors looking for attractive payout/value combinations. Best Income Stocks to Buy for March 24th
• Positive Sentiment: Strayer University (part of Strategic Education) launched a Master of Fine Arts in Screen Scoring & Music Design — a product/portfolio expansion that supports modest organic growth and program diversification. Strayer University Launches Master of Fine Arts in Screen Scoring & Music Design
• Neutral Sentiment: Multiple short-interest reports for March 24 show “0 shares” and NaN changes — this appears to be a data/error note rather than meaningful new short activity, so it’s unlikely to be driving major move on its own.
• Neutral Sentiment: A Zacks piece on undervalued price-to-book names ran March 23; broader market coverage like this can provide context but didn’t contain company-specific news likely to move STRA materially. 5 Undervalued Price-to-Book Stocks to Consider for Your Portfolio
• Negative Sentiment: Truist downgraded STRA from “buy” to “hold” and cut its price target from $95 to $85, which trims upside expectations and likely pressured the stock; the new PT implies only modest upside from current levels. Truist Downgrades STRA to Hold, Lowers PT

Strategic Education Company Profile

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.