Insider Selling: Strategic Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:STRA) General Counsel Sells 1,452 Shares of Stock

Strategic Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:STRA) General Counsel Lizette Benedi Herraiz sold 1,452 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $82.21, for a total value of $119,368.92. Following the sale, the general counsel now owns 61,716 shares in the company, valued at $5,073,672.36. The trade was a 2.30 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website.

Strategic Education Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ STRA opened at $79.99 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.96 billion, a PE ratio of 15.24, a P/E/G ratio of 1.22 and a beta of 0.59. Strategic Education, Inc. has a 1-year low of $78.43 and a 1-year high of $123.62. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $94.75 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $94.05.

Strategic Education (NASDAQ:STRA) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 27th. The health services provider reported $1.27 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.37 by ($0.10). The firm had revenue of $311.46 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $315.18 million. Strategic Education had a return on equity of 7.61% and a net margin of 10.44%. Equities research analysts expect that Strategic Education, Inc. will post 4.79 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Strategic Education Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 10th will be given a dividend of $0.60 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 10th. This represents a $2.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.00%. Strategic Education’s dividend payout ratio is presently 51.39%.

Institutional Trading of Strategic Education

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. boosted its position in Strategic Education by 6.8% during the 4th quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 3,009 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $281,000 after acquiring an additional 191 shares during the period. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC raised its stake in shares of Strategic Education by 2.6% during the fourth quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 8,113 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $758,000 after purchasing an additional 205 shares in the last quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Strategic Education by 9.8% in the third quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 2,448 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $228,000 after purchasing an additional 218 shares during the period. US Bancorp DE grew its position in Strategic Education by 12.8% in the 3rd quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 1,938 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $179,000 after buying an additional 220 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of Montreal Can increased its stake in Strategic Education by 7.5% during the 4th quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 3,542 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $331,000 after buying an additional 246 shares during the period. 93.27% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

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.