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

Strategic Education (NASDAQ:STRA) was downgraded by equities researchers at Truist Financial from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday,Finviz reports. They currently have a $85.00 target price on the health services provider’s stock. Truist Financial’s price target points to a potential upside of 1.36% from the stock’s previous close.

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

Strategic Education Trading Up 3.9%

STRA opened at $83.86 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $1.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.47, a PEG ratio of 0.77 and a beta of 0.56. Strategic Education has a 1 year low of $72.17 and a 1 year high of $93.45. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $81.03 and a 200 day moving average price of $80.84.

Strategic Education (NASDAQ:STRA) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 26th. The health services provider reported $1.74 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 firm had revenue of $311.46 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $322.29 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.27 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 3.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Strategic Education will post 4.79 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, General Counsel Lizette Benedi Herraiz sold 7,598 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $79.97, for a total value of $607,612.06. Following the completion of the sale, 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 position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CFO Daniel Wayne Jackson sold 13,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 100,096 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,244,907.52. The trade was a 11.49% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 62,420 shares of company stock valued at $4,843,218 over the last 90 days. 3.30% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of STRA. Blue Trust Inc. acquired a new position in Strategic Education during the 3rd quarter worth $25,000. Allworth Financial LP boosted its holdings in 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 acquiring an additional 138 shares during the period. Hantz Financial Services Inc. increased its stake in shares of Strategic Education by 154.2% in the fourth quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 333 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 202 shares during the period. Osaic Holdings Inc. increased its stake in shares of Strategic Education by 85.2% in the second quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. now owns 387 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 178 shares during the period. Finally, Sankala Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Strategic Education during the 4th quarter worth about $37,000. 93.27% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.