Strategic Education (NASDAQ:STRA) Director Michael Thawley Buys 665 Shares

Strategic Education Inc. (NASDAQ:STRA) Director Michael Thawley purchased 665 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, April 24th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $72.71 per share, with a total value of $48,352.15. Following the purchase, the director directly owned 12,154 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $883,717.34. This trade represents a 5.79% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink.

Strategic Education Price Performance

NASDAQ:STRA traded up $1.34 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $73.53. The company had a trading volume of 522,220 shares, compared to its average volume of 270,047. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $80.65 and a 200 day moving average price of $80.57. The company has a market capitalization of $1.66 billion, a PE ratio of 12.99, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.69 and a beta of 0.53. Strategic Education Inc. has a 52 week low of $69.70 and a 52 week high of $93.45.

Strategic Education (NASDAQ:STRA) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 23rd. The health services provider reported $1.42 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.51 by ($0.09). Strategic Education had a return on equity of 8.78% and a net margin of 10.21%.The company had revenue of $305.93 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $329.81 million. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.30 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up .8% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts anticipate that Strategic Education Inc. will post 6.97 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Strategic Education Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 1st. Investors of record on Friday, May 22nd will be paid a $0.60 dividend. This represents a $2.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 22nd. Strategic Education’s dividend payout ratio is presently 44.28%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Strategic Education

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Orion Porfolio Solutions LLC increased its stake in shares of Strategic Education by 1.4% during the third quarter. Orion Porfolio Solutions LLC now owns 9,367 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $806,000 after purchasing an additional 129 shares in the last quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Strategic Education by 3.0% in the 4th quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 4,538 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $364,000 after purchasing an additional 133 shares in the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP boosted its position in shares of Strategic Education by 88.5% in the 3rd quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 294 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 138 shares in the last quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. grew its stake in shares of 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 during the last quarter. Finally, Hantz Financial Services Inc. grew its stake in shares of Strategic Education by 154.2% in the 4th quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 333 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 202 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.27% of the company’s stock.

Strategic Education News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Strategic Education this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.60 per share (annualized yield ~3.3%), which supports income-oriented investors and can provide downside support to the stock.
• Positive Sentiment: Management said Q1 may be the low point for 2026 and is targeting roughly 200 basis points of margin expansion by accelerating AI-driven productivity improvements — a clear strategic cost-efficiency lever that could boost future margins and earnings. Seeking Alpha Margin Expansion
• Positive Sentiment: Recent analyst/quant coverage frames STRA as an attractive value name (Zacks articles and a “Moderate Buy” broker consensus), highlighting low P/E and PEG metrics versus growth prospects — which can attract value-oriented buyers. Zacks: Should Value Investors Buy? Zacks: Strong Value Stock
• Neutral Sentiment: Company reported Q1 results and issued a slide deck/press release summarizing performance (revenue modestly up YoY; detailed slides/transcript available for investors evaluating the quarter). BusinessWire Q1 Release
• Neutral Sentiment: Earnings call transcript and presentation were posted — useful for judging management tone, guidance detail, and execution against the AI productivity plan. Earnings Call Transcript
• Negative Sentiment: Reported Q1 EPS of $1.42 missed consensus ($1.51) and revenue of $305.9M fell short of estimates (~$329.8M). The shortfall in topline and the EPS miss are primary near-term negative catalysts pressuring the stock. Zacks: Q1 Miss
• Negative Sentiment: Market reaction: several outlets noted shares falling after the miss and the revenue shortfall, signaling investor concern about near-term growth and execution. Elevated trading volume versus average suggests stronger investor selling/positioning around the print. MSN: Shares Falling

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have weighed in on STRA shares. Truist Financial cut Strategic Education from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and cut their price objective for the company from $95.00 to $85.00 in a research report on Tuesday, March 24th. Barrington Research decreased their target price on Strategic Education from $105.00 to $95.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday. Zacks Research upgraded Strategic Education from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. Wall Street Zen upgraded Strategic Education from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, April 18th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Strategic Education in a research note on Tuesday. 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 company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Strategic Education presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $89.33.

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.