Thrivent Financial for Lutherans Sells 12,912 Shares of Strategic Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:STRA)

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans lessened its stake in Strategic Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:STRA) by 29.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 30,843 shares of the health services provider’s stock after selling 12,912 shares during the period. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans owned about 0.13% of Strategic Education worth $2,881,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new stake in shares of Strategic Education in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $37,000. R Squared Ltd bought a new position in Strategic Education in the fourth quarter worth $42,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in Strategic Education by 394.8% during the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 480 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $44,000 after buying an additional 383 shares in the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in Strategic Education in the 4th quarter valued at $96,000. Finally, KBC Group NV raised its stake in shares of 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 buying an additional 363 shares in the last quarter. 93.27% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Strategic Education Trading Up 1.5 %

Shares of Strategic Education stock opened at $84.49 on Thursday. Strategic Education, Inc. has a 1-year low of $78.43 and a 1-year high of $123.62. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $92.19 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $92.94. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.09, a P/E/G ratio of 1.22 and a beta of 0.59.

Strategic Education (NASDAQ:STRA) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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). The business had revenue of $311.46 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $315.18 million. Strategic Education had a net margin of 10.44% and a return on equity of 7.61%. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Strategic Education, Inc. will post 4.79 EPS for the current year.

Strategic Education Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 10th were issued a dividend of $0.60 per share. This represents a $2.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.84%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 10th. Strategic Education’s dividend payout ratio is currently 51.39%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Michael A. Mcrobbie acquired 600 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 10th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $81.80 per share, for a total transaction of $49,080.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 6,135 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $501,843. This trade represents a 10.84 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Raymond Karl Mcdonnell sold 31,855 shares of the 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 completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 140,281 shares in the company, valued at $13,723,690.23. The trade was a 18.51 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 39,332 shares of company stock valued at $3,825,169. Insiders own 3.30% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on STRA. BMO Capital Markets decreased their target price on shares of Strategic Education from $114.00 to $97.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. StockNews.com lowered Strategic Education from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 6th. Finally, Barrington Research cut their target price on Strategic Education from $135.00 to $120.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research 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.