Strategic Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:STRA) Shares Sold by Principal Financial Group Inc.

Principal Financial Group Inc. trimmed its stake in Strategic Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:STRA) by 4.3% during the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 108,191 shares of the health services provider’s stock after selling 4,845 shares during the quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned approximately 0.44% of Strategic Education worth $11,972,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System grew its holdings in shares of Strategic Education by 83.0% in the 1st quarter. State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System now owns 11,817 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $1,230,000 after acquiring an additional 5,358 shares during the last quarter. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC purchased a new position in shares of Strategic Education during the second quarter valued at $1,357,000. Quadrature Capital Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Strategic Education during the first quarter valued at $738,000. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Strategic Education by 103.6% during the fourth quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 253,390 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $23,406,000 after buying an additional 128,961 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Strategic Education during the fourth quarter valued at $272,000. 93.27% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Strategic Education Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ STRA opened at $92.25 on Friday. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $103.88 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $106.55. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04, a current ratio of 1.57 and a quick ratio of 1.57. Strategic Education, Inc. has a one year low of $74.43 and a one year high of $123.62. The company has a market capitalization of $2.27 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.08 and a beta of 0.56.

Strategic Education (NASDAQ:STRA) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 31st. The health services provider reported $1.33 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.19 by $0.14. Strategic Education had a return on equity of 7.47% and a net margin of 9.84%. The company had revenue of $312.30 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $308.16 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.82 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 8.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts anticipate that Strategic Education, Inc. will post 4.68 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, September 16th. Investors of record on Friday, September 6th will be given a dividend of $0.60 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 6th. This represents a $2.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.60%. Strategic Education’s dividend payout ratio is presently 56.87%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. StockNews.com downgraded Strategic Education from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, August 1st. BMO Capital Markets lowered their price target on Strategic Education from $130.00 to $125.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, August 1st. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Strategic Education presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $132.25.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Strategic Education news, Director Viet D. Dinh acquired 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 2nd. The stock was acquired at an average price of $95.59 per share, with a total value of $477,950.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 20,020 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,913,711.80. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 3.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

About Strategic Education

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.