Strategic Education (NASDAQ:STRA) Hits New 1-Year High After Dividend Announcement

Shares of Strategic Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:STRA) hit a new 52-week high on Thursday following a dividend announcement from the company. The stock traded as high as $115.70 and last traded at $112.50, with a volume of 60628 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $100.65.

The newly announced dividend which will be paid on Monday, June 3rd. Investors of record on Friday, May 24th will be paid a $0.60 dividend. This represents a $2.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.13%. Strategic Education’s payout ratio is 82.76%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Barrington Research reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $125.00 target price on shares of Strategic Education in a report on Tuesday, April 9th. Bank of America increased their target price on shares of Strategic Education from $104.00 to $124.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 5th. StockNews.com downgraded Strategic Education from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 9th. TheStreet upgraded Strategic Education from a “c+” rating to a “b” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 29th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on Strategic Education from $103.00 to $123.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, March 1st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Strategic Education currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $124.25.

Strategic Education Price Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of $2.77 billion, a PE ratio of 37.89, a PEG ratio of 1.18 and a beta of 0.50. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $100.96 and a 200 day moving average price of $93.74. The company has a quick ratio of 1.57, a current ratio of 1.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04.

Strategic Education (NASDAQ:STRA) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 29th. The health services provider reported $1.68 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.34 by $0.34. Strategic Education had a return on equity of 5.52% and a net margin of 6.16%. The firm had revenue of $302.70 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $297.48 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.78 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 12.2% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts forecast that Strategic Education, Inc. will post 4.61 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CFO Daniel Wayne Jackson sold 3,713 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $95.95, for a total value of $356,262.35. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 71,770 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,886,331.50. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. In related news, CFO Daniel Wayne Jackson sold 3,713 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $95.95, for a total value of $356,262.35. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 71,770 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,886,331.50. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Raymond Karl Mcdonnell sold 12,820 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $95.99, for a total value of $1,230,591.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 161,359 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $15,488,850.41. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 3.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. SG Americas Securities LLC lifted its stake in shares of Strategic Education by 320.0% during the third quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 13,155 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $990,000 after purchasing an additional 10,023 shares in the last quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC bought a new position in Strategic Education in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $1,338,000. IQ EQ FUND MANAGEMENT IRELAND Ltd grew its holdings in Strategic Education by 8.8% in the 3rd quarter. IQ EQ FUND MANAGEMENT IRELAND Ltd now owns 5,192 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $391,000 after buying an additional 422 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in Strategic Education by 3.1% in the 3rd quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. now owns 11,676 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $879,000 after buying an additional 349 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank grew its holdings in Strategic Education by 30.9% in the 3rd quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 3,787 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $285,000 after buying an additional 894 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.27% of the company’s stock.

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.