Ellsworth Advisors LLC Purchases New Position in Strategic Education Inc. $STRA

Ellsworth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Strategic Education Inc. (NASDAQ:STRA) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor acquired 71,664 shares of the health services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $6,057,000. Ellsworth Advisors LLC owned approximately 0.31% of Strategic Education at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in STRA. Blue Trust Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Strategic Education in the third quarter worth $25,000. Allworth Financial LP boosted its position in shares of Strategic Education by 88.5% during the third quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 294 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 138 shares during the last quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. increased its holdings in Strategic Education by 85.2% in the 2nd quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. now owns 387 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 178 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its holdings in Strategic Education by 281.6% in the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 725 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $58,000 after buying an additional 535 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board purchased a new position in Strategic Education in the 2nd quarter worth about $94,000. 93.27% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Strategic Education Stock Up 0.3%

NASDAQ STRA opened at $83.19 on Thursday. Strategic Education Inc. has a 52 week low of $72.17 and a 52 week high of $93.45. The company has a market capitalization of $1.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.35, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.79 and a beta of 0.56. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $80.81 and its 200-day moving average price is $80.85.

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

Strategic Education Announces Dividend

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

Insider Activity

In other Strategic Education news, CFO Daniel Wayne Jackson sold 13,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $82.37, for a total value of $1,070,810.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 100,096 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,244,907.52. This represents a 11.49% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, General Counsel Lizette Benedi Herraiz sold 2,982 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $79.88, for a total value of $238,202.16. Following the sale, the general counsel directly owned 55,580 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,439,730.40. This represents a 5.09% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 62,420 shares of company stock valued at $4,843,218 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 3.60% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

STRA has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Zacks Research raised shares of Strategic Education from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, March 2nd. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Strategic Education from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, March 28th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Strategic Education in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Barrington Research reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $105.00 target price on shares of Strategic Education in a research report on Monday, January 26th. Finally, Truist Financial cut Strategic Education from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and lowered their price target for the company from $95.00 to $85.00 in a report on Tuesday, March 24th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have issued a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $92.67.

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.