Legal & General Group Plc Buys 1,674 Shares of Strategic Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:STRA)

Legal & General Group Plc grew its position in shares of Strategic Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:STRA) by 2.5% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 69,688 shares of the health services provider’s stock after buying an additional 1,674 shares during the period. Legal & General Group Plc owned approximately 0.28% of Strategic Education worth $6,510,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new position in Strategic Education during the third quarter worth about $37,000. R Squared Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Strategic Education in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $42,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its position in shares of Strategic Education by 394.8% in the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 480 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $44,000 after buying an additional 383 shares in the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Strategic Education during the 4th quarter worth $96,000. Finally, KBC Group NV lifted its stake in Strategic Education by 53.3% in the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 1,044 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $98,000 after purchasing an additional 363 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.27% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Michael A. Mcrobbie purchased 600 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 10th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $81.80 per share, with a total value of $49,080.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 6,135 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $501,843. This represents a 10.84 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Raymond Karl Mcdonnell sold 31,855 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $97.83, for a total value of $3,116,374.65. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 140,281 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,723,690.23. This trade represents a 18.51 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 39,332 shares of company stock worth $3,825,169 in the last quarter. Insiders own 3.30% of the company’s stock.

Strategic Education Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:STRA opened at $80.07 on Friday. Strategic Education, Inc. has a 52-week low of $74.28 and a 52-week high of $123.62. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $85.52 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $91.37. The firm has a market cap of $1.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.25, a PEG ratio of 1.22 and a beta of 0.58.

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

Strategic Education Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

STRA has been the topic of a number of research reports. StockNews.com lowered Strategic Education from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 6th. BMO Capital Markets reduced their price objective on shares of Strategic Education from $114.00 to $97.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, March 3rd. Finally, Barrington Research reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $120.00 target price on shares of Strategic Education in a research report on Tuesday, April 15th.

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.