Envestnet Asset Management Inc. Buys 25,455 Shares of Strategic Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:STRA)

Envestnet Asset Management Inc. grew its stake in Strategic Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:STRA) by 7.4% during the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 369,728 shares of the health services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 25,455 shares during the quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. owned approximately 1.50% of Strategic Education worth $40,914,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Russell Investments Group Ltd. purchased a new stake in Strategic Education in the 4th quarter valued at $73,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Strategic Education by 2.3% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 278,397 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $25,716,000 after purchasing an additional 6,296 shares in the last quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas purchased a new position in Strategic Education during the fourth quarter worth about $624,000. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Strategic Education in the 4th quarter worth about $13,511,000. Finally, D.A. Davidson & CO. increased its stake in Strategic Education by 18.9% in the 4th quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 7,707 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $712,000 after buying an additional 1,224 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.27% of the company’s stock.

Strategic Education Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ STRA opened at $94.80 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.57, a quick ratio of 1.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $101.39 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $106.33. Strategic Education, Inc. has a 1-year low of $74.43 and a 1-year high of $123.62. The firm has a market cap of $2.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.26, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.36 and a beta of 0.56.

Strategic Education (NASDAQ:STRA) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 31st. The health services provider reported $1.33 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.19 by $0.14. The company had revenue of $312.30 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $308.16 million. Strategic Education had a return on equity of 7.47% and a net margin of 9.84%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.82 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Strategic Education, Inc. will post 4.65 earnings per share for the current year.

Strategic Education Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 16th. Investors of record on Friday, September 6th were paid a $0.60 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, September 6th. This represents a $2.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.53%. Strategic Education’s dividend payout ratio is 56.87%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Strategic Education

In related news, Director Viet D. Dinh bought 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, August 2nd. The shares were purchased at an average price of $95.59 per share, for a total transaction of $477,950.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 20,020 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,913,711.80. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Insiders own 3.10% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently commented on STRA shares. BMO Capital Markets decreased their price target on Strategic Education from $130.00 to $125.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, August 1st. StockNews.com raised Strategic Education from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $132.25.

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.