AlphaQuest LLC Acquires 984 Shares of Strategic Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:STRA)

AlphaQuest LLC raised its holdings in Strategic Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:STRA) by 28.5% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 4,432 shares of the health services provider’s stock after buying an additional 984 shares during the quarter. AlphaQuest LLC’s holdings in Strategic Education were worth $414,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in STRA. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its stake in Strategic Education by 76.7% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 399,144 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $36,941,000 after acquiring an additional 173,225 shares during the period. Weiss Asset Management LP bought a new stake in shares of Strategic Education during the third quarter valued at approximately $5,635,000. State Street Corp grew its stake in Strategic Education by 6.1% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 890,133 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $82,382,000 after purchasing an additional 50,980 shares during the period. Lightrock Netherlands B.V. bought a new position in Strategic Education in the fourth quarter worth $4,625,000. Finally, Barclays PLC lifted its position in Strategic Education by 334.3% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 37,961 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $3,513,000 after buying an additional 29,220 shares during the period. 93.27% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Raymond Karl Mcdonnell sold 31,855 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $97.83, for a total transaction of $3,116,374.65. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 140,281 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $13,723,690.23. This trade represents a 18.51 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Director Michael A. Mcrobbie purchased 600 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 10th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $81.80 per share, for a total transaction of $49,080.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 6,135 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $501,843. This trade represents a 10.84 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 39,332 shares of company stock valued at $3,825,169. Insiders own 3.10% of the company’s stock.

Strategic Education Stock Performance

Strategic Education stock opened at $79.14 on Friday. Strategic Education, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $78.43 and a fifty-two week high of $123.62. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $94.48 and a 200-day moving average price of $93.95. The company has a market capitalization of $1.94 billion, a PE ratio of 15.07, a P/E/G ratio of 1.22 and a beta of 0.59.

Strategic Education (NASDAQ:STRA) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 27th. The health services provider reported $1.27 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.37 by ($0.10). Strategic Education had a net margin of 10.44% and a return on equity of 7.61%. The company had revenue of $311.46 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $315.18 million. On average, analysts forecast that Strategic Education, Inc. will post 4.79 earnings per share for the current year.

Strategic Education Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Monday, March 10th will be paid a $0.60 dividend. This represents a $2.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.03%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 10th. Strategic Education’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 51.39%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently issued reports on STRA. BMO Capital Markets decreased their price target 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. StockNews.com lowered shares of Strategic Education from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 6th. Finally, Barrington Research reduced their target price on shares of Strategic Education from $135.00 to $120.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, February 27th.

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.