Strategic Education (NASDAQ:STRA) Upgraded to Buy at Truist Financial

Strategic Education (NASDAQ:STRA) was upgraded by analysts at Truist Financial from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report released on Wednesday, MarketBeat Ratings reports. The brokerage presently has a $125.00 price objective on the health services provider’s stock, up from their previous price objective of $110.00. Truist Financial’s price target indicates a potential upside of 27.59% from the stock’s previous close.

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

Strategic Education Stock Up 1.3 %

Shares of NASDAQ:STRA traded up $1.26 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $97.97. The stock had a trading volume of 76,959 shares, compared to its average volume of 88,657. Strategic Education has a 12 month low of $64.53 and a 12 month high of $111.95. The company has a quick ratio of 1.57, a current ratio of 1.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $100.74 and its 200-day simple moving average is $92.93. The company has a market cap of $2.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.80, a PEG ratio of 1.16 and a beta of 0.50.

Strategic Education (NASDAQ:STRA) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 29th. The health services provider reported $1.68 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.34 by $0.34. Strategic Education had a net margin of 6.16% and a return on equity of 5.52%. 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 posted $0.78 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 12.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Strategic Education will post 4.6 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Strategic Education

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Strategic Education

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. State of Wyoming bought a new position in shares of Strategic Education during the 4th quarter worth approximately $33,000. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC boosted its holdings in shares of Strategic Education by 140.3% during the 3rd quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 656 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $49,000 after buying an additional 383 shares in the last quarter. Virtus Fund Advisers LLC bought a new position in shares of Strategic Education during the 4th quarter worth approximately $65,000. Russell Investments Group Ltd. bought a new position in shares of Strategic Education during the 4th quarter worth approximately $73,000. Finally, VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC raised its position in shares of Strategic Education by 27.8% during the third quarter. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC now owns 1,084 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $82,000 after purchasing an additional 236 shares during the period. 93.27% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.