Arizona State Retirement System Increases Stake in Strategic Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:STRA)

Arizona State Retirement System increased its holdings in Strategic Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:STRA) by 2.6% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 6,199 shares of the health services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 160 shares during the quarter. Arizona State Retirement System’s holdings in Strategic Education were worth $686,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Strategic Education in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $36,000. CWM LLC lifted its holdings in Strategic Education by 2,650.0% during the second quarter. CWM LLC now owns 330 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $37,000 after buying an additional 318 shares during the period. Rothschild Investment LLC purchased a new stake in Strategic Education during the second quarter worth $38,000. Innealta Capital LLC bought a new stake in Strategic Education during the 2nd quarter valued at $38,000. Finally, Russell Investments Group Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of Strategic Education in the 4th quarter valued at $73,000. 93.27% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. StockNews.com cut Strategic Education from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 1st. BMO Capital Markets lowered their price target on shares of Strategic Education from $130.00 to $125.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, August 1st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $132.25.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Viet D. Dinh purchased 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, August 2nd. The shares were acquired at an average price of $95.59 per share, for a total transaction of $477,950.00. Following the purchase, the director now owns 20,020 shares in the company, valued at $1,913,711.80. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 3.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Strategic Education Trading Up 1.1 %

Strategic Education stock opened at $94.13 on Monday. Strategic Education, Inc. has a one year low of $74.43 and a one year high of $123.62. The stock has a market cap of $2.32 billion, a PE ratio of 22.31, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.04 and a beta of 0.56. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04, a quick ratio of 1.57 and a current ratio of 1.57. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $102.26 and a two-hundred day moving average of $106.64.

Strategic Education (NASDAQ:STRA) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, July 31st. The health services provider reported $1.33 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.19 by $0.14. Strategic Education had a net margin of 9.84% and a return on equity of 7.47%. The company had revenue of $312.30 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $308.16 million. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.82 EPS. Strategic Education’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts anticipate that Strategic Education, Inc. will post 4.68 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Strategic Education Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 16th. Investors of record on Friday, September 6th will be given a $0.60 dividend. This represents a $2.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.55%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 6th. Strategic Education’s payout ratio is 56.87%.

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.