AlphaQuest LLC Purchases 984 Shares of Strategic Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:STRA)

AlphaQuest LLC grew its holdings in shares of Strategic Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:STRA) by 28.5% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 4,432 shares of the health services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 984 shares during the quarter. AlphaQuest LLC’s holdings in Strategic Education were worth $414,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new position in Strategic Education in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $37,000. R Squared Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Strategic Education in the fourth quarter valued at $42,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Strategic Education by 394.8% during 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 during the period. Pacer Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in Strategic Education during the 4th quarter worth about $96,000. Finally, KBC Group NV grew its holdings in Strategic Education by 53.3% during the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 1,044 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $98,000 after buying an additional 363 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.27% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on STRA. Barrington Research lowered their price target on shares of Strategic Education from $135.00 to $120.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, February 27th. BMO Capital Markets lowered their price objective on Strategic Education from $114.00 to $97.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded shares of Strategic Education from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 6th.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CFO Daniel Wayne Jackson sold 6,025 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 81,756 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,998,189.48. This trade represents a 6.86 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Raymond Karl Mcdonnell sold 31,855 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 transaction of $3,116,374.65. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 140,281 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $13,723,690.23. This represents a 18.51 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 39,332 shares of company stock valued at $3,825,169 over the last three months. Insiders own 3.10% of the company’s stock.

Strategic Education Stock Down 1.0 %

STRA opened at $79.14 on Friday. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $94.48 and its 200 day simple moving average is $93.95. Strategic Education, Inc. has a 52 week low of $78.43 and a 52 week high of $123.62. The stock has a market cap of $1.94 billion, a PE ratio of 15.07, a P/E/G ratio of 1.22 and a beta of 0.59.

Strategic Education (NASDAQ:STRA) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 27th. The health services provider reported $1.27 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.37 by ($0.10). The firm had revenue of $311.46 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $315.18 million. Strategic Education had a return on equity of 7.61% and a net margin of 10.44%. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Strategic Education, Inc. will post 4.79 earnings per share for the current year.

Strategic Education Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Monday, March 10th will be given a $0.60 dividend. This represents a $2.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.03%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 10th. Strategic Education’s payout ratio is presently 51.39%.

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.