Bridgewater Associates LP Purchases 3,368 Shares of Strategic Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:STRA)

Bridgewater Associates LP lifted its position in shares of Strategic Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:STRA) by 12.8% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 29,708 shares of the health services provider’s stock after buying an additional 3,368 shares during the quarter. Bridgewater Associates LP’s holdings in Strategic Education were worth $2,775,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in Strategic Education by 1.7% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 2,793,685 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $260,986,000 after buying an additional 45,421 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in Strategic Education by 5.3% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 561,274 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $51,956,000 after purchasing an additional 28,082 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its holdings in Strategic Education by 76.7% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 399,144 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $36,941,000 after purchasing an additional 173,225 shares during the period. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Strategic Education by 4.1% during the 4th quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 397,265 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $37,113,000 after purchasing an additional 15,638 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Strategic Education by 3.5% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 324,676 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $30,331,000 after purchasing an additional 10,949 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.27% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Strategic Education

In related news, CEO Raymond Karl Mcdonnell sold 31,855 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 25th. The stock was 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 transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Michael A. Mcrobbie bought 600 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 10th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $81.80 per share, with a total value of $49,080.00. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 6,135 shares in the company, valued at approximately $501,843. This represents a 10.84 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 39,332 shares of company stock valued at $3,825,169. 3.30% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Strategic Education Trading Up 1.8 %

NASDAQ STRA opened at $80.07 on Friday. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $85.52 and its 200 day simple moving average is $91.36. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.25, a P/E/G ratio of 1.22 and a beta of 0.58. Strategic Education, Inc. has a 1 year low of $74.28 and a 1 year high of $123.62.

Strategic Education (NASDAQ:STRA) last issued its quarterly 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 business had revenue of $311.46 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $315.18 million. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Strategic Education, Inc. will post 4.79 earnings per share for the current year.

Strategic Education Announces Dividend

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on STRA shares. Barrington Research reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $120.00 price target on shares of Strategic Education in a research note on Tuesday. BMO Capital Markets cut their target price on Strategic Education from $114.00 to $97.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. Finally, StockNews.com cut Strategic Education from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 6th.

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.