STRATEGIC EDUCATION INC (STRA)
Consumer Discretionary · for-profit education · NASDAQ
A leading provider of online and hybrid post-secondary education for adult learners, operating through Capella University and Strayer University.
What STRATEGIC EDUCATION INC does
Strategic Education, Inc. provides post-secondary education through its academic institutions, primarily Capella University and Strayer University. The company offers a wide range of undergraduate and graduate degree programs in fields such as business, healthcare, education, and information technology. It serves a diverse population of adult learners, primarily through online and hybrid delivery models.
Themes: online education, higher education, professional development, hybrid learning
Fundamentals
- Price$82.39 as of 2026-10-08 close
- Market cap$1.8B as of 2026-07-17 (share count; price 2026-10-08)
- 1-year return+1.9% 2025-10-08 close $80.84 → 2026-10-08 close $82.39
- P/E13.74 as of 2026-10-08
- Net margin+10.0% FY2025, SEC XBRL
- ROE+7.7% FY2025, SEC XBRL
- Debt / equity0.00 as of 2026-09-02
- Revenue growth (YoY)+3.5% as of 2026-09-02
- Revenue CAGR (3y)+6.0% SEC XBRL
- Beta0.49 as of 2026-09-02
- Last reported earnings2026-07-29 SEC EDGAR Form 8-K (Item 2.02)
Dividend: yield +3.0%; at least 9 years of non-decreasing per-share dividends (SEC XBRL) — we do not hold the year before it, so the real streak may be longer.
How STRA compares in its sector
- price-to-earnings ratiomiddle range 258 covered Consumer Discretionary peers, as of 2026-10-08
- net profit margintop 25% 314 covered Consumer Discretionary peers, as of 2026-09-02
- operating margintop 25% 281 covered Consumer Discretionary peers, as of 2026-09-02
- return on equitymiddle range 293 covered Consumer Discretionary peers, as of 2026-09-02
- 3-year revenue CAGRmiddle range 326 covered Consumer Discretionary peers
- indicated dividend yieldmiddle range 169 covered Consumer Discretionary peers, as of 2026-09-02
- free cash flow (absolute dollars, latest fiscal year)middle range 311 covered Consumer Discretionary peers, as of FY2025
Position among covered Consumer Discretionary companies that report each metric (minimum 5 peers). A relative position within our covered catalog — not a valuation, quality, or investment judgment. A higher percentile is simply a higher value (for P/E, more expensive on earnings — never "better"). Informational only.
Dividend coverage (FY2025)
Covered by reported results. In FY2025, STRA's dividend was covered by reported results (earnings payout 45%, free-cash-flow payout 37%). This describes past coverage, not a forecast.
- Earnings payout45% dividends / net income
- Free-cash-flow payout37% dividends / (operating cash flow − capex)
Coverage derived from reported SEC EDGAR XBRL figures for FY2025 (dividends paid vs. net income and free cash flow, same fiscal year). This describes PAST coverage for one fiscal year — it does not predict whether a dividend will be maintained, raised, or cut, and a one-year payout ratio can be distorted by non-recurring items. Informational only — not financial advice.
How STRATEGIC EDUCATION INC looks technically
STRATEGIC EDUCATION INC (STRA) is trading 2.2% above its 200-day average, the long-term trend line — a longer-term uptrend. Its 50-day average crossed above its 200-day average about 33 trading days ago — a "golden cross", a bullish long-term signal. There is no clear trend right now — the price is choppy (ADX, a 0–100 trend-strength gauge, is 19, below the 25 that marks a real trend). Momentum is neutral — its 14-day RSI (a 0–100 momentum gauge) is 58, neither overbought (above 70) nor oversold (below 30). MACD, a trend-momentum gauge, turned bullish about 4 trading days ago (its momentum flipped positive). It made a new 20-day low about 8 trading days ago.
Trend
9
| Distance from the 200-day | it is trading 2.2% above its 200-day average, the long-term trend line — a longer-term uptrend | +2.2% |
|---|---|---|
| 50-day moving average | its average price over the last 50 trading days — a short-term trend line — is $81.46 | $81.46 |
| 200-day moving average | its average price over the last 200 trading days — the long-term trend line — is $80.60 | $80.60 |
| Swing structure | each recent peak has been lower than the one before it and each dip deeper — the pattern chart-watchers call a downtrend, which describes where price has already been and not where it goes next | lower highs and lower lows |
| Last swing turn | its last significant turn was a swing low 9 calendar days ago — the swings before that are what the structure reading is measured on | 9 sessions |
| Wave structure | its recent swings can be read as a completed three-part downward correction — a pullback in the A-B-C shape Elliott-wave chartists use; the labelling fails if price closes below 74.93. It is the only labelling that fits, and it describes the swings already printed, not what comes next. | possible three-wave downward correction, complete |
| Since the 50/200 cross | its 50-day average crossed above its 200-day average about 33 trading days ago — a "golden cross", a bullish long-term signal | 33 sessions |
| Above the 200-day after a dip | it recently dipped to its 200-day average (the long-term trend line) and has since climbed back above it — now about 2.2% above | +2.2% |
| Trend strength (14-day ADX) | there is no clear trend right now — the price is choppy (ADX, a 0–100 trend-strength gauge, is 19, below the 25 that marks a real trend) | 19.0 |
Momentum
3
| 14-day RSI | momentum is neutral — its 14-day RSI (a 0–100 momentum gauge) is 58, neither overbought (above 70) nor oversold (below 30) | 58.1 |
|---|---|---|
| Position in its 14-day range | it is trading near the top of its 14-day range ($74.93 to $82.85) — its "stochastic" reading is 94 out of 100, where 0 would mean closing exactly at the 14-session low and 100 exactly at the high. This measures WHERE the price sits inside its recent range, which is a different question from the RSI beside it: RSI is a momentum gauge, measuring how FAST the price has been moving, so a stock can drift quietly to the bottom of its range with an ordinary RSI, or fall sharply and still sit in the middle. It has been climbing within that range over the last few sessions. | 94.2 |
| Since the MACD crossed zero | MACD, a trend-momentum gauge, turned bullish about 4 trading days ago (its momentum flipped positive) | 4 sessions |
Range
12
| 52-week high | its highest closing price over the past year (about 252 trading days) was $89.59 | $89.59 |
|---|---|---|
| From the 52-week high | it is 8.0% below its 52-week high (its highest price of the past year) | -8.0% |
| Above the 52-week low | it is 18.2% above its 52-week low (its lowest price of the past year) | +18.2% |
| Below the 52-week high | it is 8.0% below its highest point of the past year | 8.0% |
| Since a 20-day breakout | it made a new 20-day low about 8 trading days ago | 8 sessions |
| Since a 55-day breakout | it made a new 55-day high about 51 trading days ago | 51 sessions |
| All-time high | its highest closing price on record is $262.44 (set on 2010-04-21) | $262.44 |
| Given back of the 52-week move | over the past year its closes ranged ($72.19 to $87.62), and it has given back roughly a third of its rise from last year’s low — 34% of it. Chart-watchers call 61.8%-65% given back the "golden pocket" — for this company that is $77.59 to $78.08. It is watched widely enough that orders cluster there, which is the honest reason it matters; it is not a forecast. | 33.9% |
| From the all-time high | it is 68.6% below its all-time high | -68.6% |
| Nearest price level | it is sitting right on a resistance level at $82.41 — a price it turned at five times since 2025-06-10, most recently on 2026-06-05. Since 2024-10-08 it has 5 such levels below the current price and 7 above. Levels like these describe where the price has reversed or paused before; they are not a forecast of where it will go. | +0.0% |
| All-time low | its lowest closing price on record is $33.51 (set on 2014-02-03) | $33.51 |
| Above the all-time low | it is 145.9% above its all-time low | +145.9% |
Volatility
5
| Band width vs its own 6 months | day-to-day price swings are about average versus its own recent 6-month history | 51st percentile |
|---|---|---|
| Typical daily range | in a typical session it travels about $2.23 between its high and its low — about 2.7% of its price. That is its "average true range" over the last 14 sessions, which also counts the distance from the previous close, so a day that opens well away from yesterday counts as the large move it was | $2.23 |
| Bollinger bands (20-day, ±2σ) | most of its recent trading has stayed between about $75.16 and $83.76 — the "Bollinger bands", a range drawn two standard deviations either side of its 20-day average price, which widens when the stock gets more volatile and narrows when it settles | $75.16 – $79.46 – $83.76 |
| Typical daily range (% of price) | its price moves about 2.7% in a typical session — calmer than most companies we cover. This is the average gap between a session's high and low over the last 14 sessions, counting overnight moves, expressed against the current price so it can be compared with companies trading at any price | 2.7% |
| Stretch from the 200-day average | it is trading 0.8 daily ranges above its 200-day average price (2.2% above it in plain percentage terms) — a way of asking how far it has stretched from its own average in units of how far it normally moves in a day, so a calm company and a jumpy one can be compared on the same scale | 0.8 daily ranges above its 200-day average |
Volume
1
| Volume vs its 30-day average | trading volume is about normal versus its 30-day average | 1.43× |
|---|
Analyst
2
| Change in the average price target | analysts have cut their average price target by 1.7% since the prior reading | -1.7% |
|---|---|---|
| Change in the consensus rating | not available for this company yet | n/a |
Price gaps
2
| Gap at the open | it opened on 2026-10-08 0.3% above the previous session's close — an overnight gap, the part of the move that happened while the market was shut, and had not traded back through that level by the close | +0.3% |
|---|---|---|
| Gap filled | a 2.6% gap down opened on 2026-08-10 has been "filled" 42 sessions ago — price traded back through the level the gap left behind, and it closed again during the very session that opened it | 42 sessions ago |
Price streaks
1
| Closing streak | it has closed higher 3 sessions in a row, a +3.92% move over the run — an unbroken run of up days, which describes what has already happened and says nothing about the next session | 3 sessions up |
|---|
Relative strength
4
| vs market, 1 month | over the past 1 month this stock beat the market by 0.1 percentage points (the stock gained 1.2% while the market gained 1.0%) | +0.1% |
|---|---|---|
| vs market, 3 months | over the past 3 months this stock lagged the market by 4.3 percentage points (the stock lost 0.5% while the market gained 3.8%) | -4.3% |
| vs market, 6 months | over the past 6 months this stock lagged the market by 19.2 percentage points (the stock lost 1.8% while the market gained 17.5%) | -19.2% |
| vs market, 12 months | over the past 12 months this stock lagged the market by 13.1 percentage points (the stock gained 1.9% while the market gained 15.0%) | -13.1% |
Signal agreement
2
| Bullish technical signals | 3 of the 9 technical signals we can compute for it are currently in a bullish state: a "golden cross" — its 50-day average is above its 200-day, trading above its 200-day average, MACD momentum is positive — these describe past price behaviour, not a forecast | 3 of 9 |
|---|---|---|
| Bearish technical signals | 2 of the 9 technical signals we can compute for it are currently in a bearish state: lagging the market over 6 months, near the top of its 14-day range (overbought) — these describe past price behaviour, not a forecast | 2 of 9 |
Trend (Ichimoku cloud)
1
| Vs the Ichimoku cloud | trading inside the Ichimoku cloud — a band drawn from where its own highs and lows sat up to 2026-09-01 and projected forward over today's price, the zone traders read as unresolved — neither side has established a trend, and the band is where that gets settled. The band itself is moderate, spanning 3.1% of the share price. | 0.0% |
|---|
Volume-weighted price
2
| Vs this year’s average price paid | the price is 3% above the average price paid so far this year, so the typical buyer over that stretch is showing a gain. That average is $80.28 — a volume-weighted average of daily closes over 190 sessions, not a true tick-by-tick VWAP. | +2.6% |
|---|---|---|
| Vs the average paid since it last reported | the price is 1% above the average price paid since it last reported on 2026-07-29 (its 10-Q), so the typical buyer over that stretch is showing a gain. That average is $81.67 — a volume-weighted average of daily closes over 51 sessions, not a true tick-by-tick VWAP. | +0.9% |
Double top, bearish — broke down · entry $79.98 · 50 sessions in
Price levels it has turned at before
STRA last closed at $82.39 on 2026-10-08. Since 2024-10-08 it has turned at 5 prices below its last close and 7 above; the 3 nearest below and the 3 nearest above are listed, nearest first.
| Level | Side | Distance | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| $82.41 | Resistance | at the last close | turned there five times · 2025-06-10 to 2026-06-05 |
| $79.95 | Support | 3.0% below the last close | turned there four times · 2025-07-29 to 2026-09-04 |
| $85.41 | Resistance | 3.7% above the last close | turned there 12 times · 2024-10-22 to 2026-09-15 |
| $78.47 | Support | 4.8% below the last close | turned there six times · 2025-03-03 to 2026-08-06 |
| $87.11 | Resistance | 5.7% above the last close | turned there six times · 2025-04-24 to 2026-08-28 |
| $76.22 | Support | 7.5% below the last close | turned there four times · 2025-12-08 to 2026-06-01 |
A level is a price this company reversed or paused at more than once — they describe past behaviour, not a forecast of where the price will go.
Wave structure
Its recent swings can be read as a three-part downward correction — the A-B-C shape chartists use for a pullback — now complete.
This labelling fails — stops being a possible reading at all — if it closes below $74.93.
It is the only labelling that fits these swings, though its proportions are not the textbook ones.
This reading has stood for 2 trading days, since 2026-10-07.
Read from daily closes as of 2026-10-08.
An Elliott-wave count describes the swings already printed and the level that would disprove it. It is not a forecast, a target, or advice.
Screens: Trading above the 200-day moving average · Tested and reclaimed 200-day support · MACD just crossed bullish (12/26/9) · trendless / choppy (low ADX) · Analyst price target recently CUT · lagging the market | Learn: moving average · golden cross · adx · rsi · macd · breakout
Based on daily closing prices as of 2026-10-08. Describes past price behavior only — informational, not financial advice.
Analyst consensus
- Consensus ratingBuy (2.00 mean, 1=Strong Buy…5=Strong Sell) — 3 analysts
- Mean price target$96.67 range $90.00 – $105.00; median $95.00
Analyst estimates, as of 2026-10-06. These are third-party analyst opinions and price targets, aggregated — not a recommendation, prediction, or advice from stocks-llm. Informational only.
Analyst EPS estimate for STRA
- Consensus EPS estimate$1.95 next reporting period, as of 2026-10-06
- Estimate change, 30 days$0.00 (0.0%) from $1.95, on 2026-08-31, 36-day window
- Readings revised upward0% of 5 comparable readings
The consensus estimate for the next reporting period, and how it has moved between readings of that SAME period. A change is measured only between readings estimating one period — when a company reports, the consensus moves to the next quarter and the two numbers are not comparable. Informational only, not a forecast and not advice.
Key risks (from latest filing)
["Strict regulatory oversight of federal student financial aid programs","Intense competition within the online and hybrid higher education market","Fluctuations in student enrollment and retention rates"]
What changed in the latest 10-Q
AI-assisted comparison of STRA's 10-Q filed 2026-04-23 against the prior one filed 2025-11-06.
Management's Discussion & Analysis (MD&A)
- Added:
- Reference to Form 10-K for year ended December 31, 2025 (newer filing, filed 2026-04-23)
- Added risk: 'risks associated with the acquisition of other businesses, including existing educational institutions' (newer filing, filed 2026-04-23)
- Added risk: 'risks associated with cybersecurity incidents, including but not limited to reputational risks and possible liability under U.S. state and federal privacy statutes and legal actions' (newer filing, filed 2026-04-23)
- Added risk: 'risks associated with the use of artificial intelligence and related tools' (newer filing, filed 2026-04-23)
- Removed:
- Reference to Form 10-K for year ended December 31, 2024 (older filing, filed 2025-11-06)
- Removed specific risk language: 'risks associated with the acquisition of existing educational institutions including our acquisition of Torrens University and associated assets in Australia and New Zealand; the risk that the benefits of our acquisition of Torrens University and associated assets in Australia and New Zealand may not be fully realized or may take longer to realize than expected; the risk that our acquisition of Torrens University and associated assets in Australia and New Zealand may not advance our business strategy and growth strategy' (older filing, filed 2025-11-06)
- Removed risk: 'the risk that the combined company may experience difficulty integrating employees or operations' (older filing, filed 2025-11-06)
- Reworded:
- Changed from transaction-specific Torrens University acquisition language to more general acquisition language ('risks associated with the acquisition of other businesses, including existing educational institutions')
- Notes:
- Text appears truncated at end of both filings (ends at 'Part II, "'); full comparison may be incomplete
- Comparison limited to provided excerpt; full MD&A sections may contain additional changes not visible in provided text
AI-assisted comparison of two SEC filing sections. It describes wording and theme changes only, makes no materiality, legal, or investment judgement, and is not financial advice. Informational only — not financial advice.
Insider activity (SEC Form 4)
No open-market insider purchases or sales recorded in the last 90 days, of which we have read Form 4 filings through 2026-10-04. The 5 days since 2026-10-04 have not been checked yet.
- Last 180 days · read to 2026-10-041 buy ($48352) · 2 sells ($211735) — 1 buying, 2 selling insiders
Most recent open-market transaction: 2026-06-04. Based on Form 4 filings read through 2026-10-04; anything filed since is not yet included.
View full insider trading history → View SEC Form 3/4/5 filingsAsk about STRA's insider activity →
Only open-market purchases (SEC code P) and sales (code S) are counted here. Option exercises, vesting/awards, gifts, and shares withheld for taxes are excluded — they are compensation or mechanical, not open-market conviction. Sales may be planned and non-discretionary (e.g. a Rule 10b5-1 plan) and are not necessarily bearish; open-market buying is not a recommendation to buy. Informational only — not financial advice.
Institutional ownership (13F)
5 institutional 13F filers reported holding STRA as of 2026-06-30 (quarter-end position, filed within 45 days).
- Distinct 13F filers 5
- Reported shares held 4,917,825
- Reported value $376,803,731
reported quarterly holdings change (2026-03-31 → 2026-06-30): 0 new, 3 increased, 2 decreased, 0 exited. Change counts cover only managers that filed 13F reports in BOTH quarters, derived between two quarter-end snapshots — not same-day trades; a single manager is never said to have "bought" or "sold".
Institutional holdings are quarter-end long positions reported on SEC Form 13F-HR, filed up to 45 days after the quarter ends — they are delayed, are not real-time trades, exclude short positions and most non-US securities, and are not investment advice. Any increase/decrease is a reported change between two quarterly snapshots, not a same-day purchase or sale. These are quarter-end snapshots from the 13F filings on SEC EDGAR, filed within 45 days — not real-time, and any change is a difference between two quarterly reports, not a same-day trade. Informational only — not financial advice.
Ask about STRA's institutional holders → See what each manager we track holds →
Short interest (FINRA)
STRA had 1,572,322 shares of reported short interest as of the 2026-09-15 FINRA settlement date (delayed, bi-monthly; not real-time).
STRA had 7.08% of its shares outstanding sold short as of the 2026-09-15 FINRA settlement date (percent of FLOAT would be higher — float is not disclosed in the source). FINRA reported 6.03 days to cover at the same settlement.
- Reported short interest (shares) 1,572,322
- Short interest (% of shares outstanding) 7.08%
- Prior settlement (shares) 1,666,161
- Reported change -5.63%
- Days to cover (reported) 6.03
Reported to FINRA as of the 2026-09-15 settlement date. Short interest is reported to FINRA and published on a delayed, bi-monthly schedule (as of a settlement date, disseminated roughly eight business days later) — it is NOT real-time, does not cover every venue or all US trading, and is not a short-squeeze prediction or investment advice. Days-to-cover is the value FINRA reports; percent of float is not shown because the source file carries no share-count denominator — where a percent appears it is of shares OUTSTANDING, the larger base, and is therefore a floor on percent of float. Informational only — not financial advice.
Competitors & peers
- Adtalem Global Education (ATGE)
- Grand Canyon Education (LOPE)
- Perdoceo Education Corporation (PRDO)
- Laureate Education (LAUR)
AI-enriched competitor set. Linked names are companies covered by stocks-llm; other named peers are shown for reference only.
Compare STRA vs…
Frequently asked questions
What does STRATEGIC EDUCATION INC (STRA) do?
Strategic Education, Inc. provides post-secondary education through its academic institutions, primarily Capella University and Strayer University. The company offers a wide range of undergraduate and graduate degree programs in fields such as business, healthcare, education, and information technology. It serves a diverse population of adult learners, primarily through online and hybrid delivery models.
What sector is STRATEGIC EDUCATION INC (STRA) in?
STRATEGIC EDUCATION INC (STRA) is classified in the Consumer Discretionary sector. Its industry is for-profit education. It trades on NASDAQ.
Does STRA pay a dividend?
Yes — STRATEGIC EDUCATION INC (STRA) pays a dividend, with an indicated yield of about 3.01% and at least 9 years of non-decreasing per-share dividends (SEC EDGAR XBRL) — we do not hold the year before it, so the real streak may be longer (market data, as of 2026-09-02). Informational only — not financial advice.
Who are STRATEGIC EDUCATION INC's (STRA) competitors?
Notable peers of STRATEGIC EDUCATION INC (STRA) include Adtalem Global Education, Grand Canyon Education, Perdoceo Education Corporation and Laureate Education. This peer set is informational only — not financial advice.
Is STRATEGIC EDUCATION INC (STRA) overbought or oversold right now?
STRATEGIC EDUCATION INC (STRA) is currently neither overbought nor oversold — its 14-day RSI (a 0–100 momentum gauge) is 58, in the neutral middle (as of 2026-10-08). RSI describes recent price momentum, not a forecast — informational only, not financial advice.
Where does stocks-llm's data on STRA come from?
Fundamentals come from SEC XBRL company filings for the figures marked with a fiscal year, and market data, as of 2026-09-02 for the rest; prices are market data, as of 2026-09-02; company filings and profile facts come from SEC EDGAR. All figures are delayed daily-close data shown with their as-of date — informational only, not financial advice.
Fundamentals: SEC XBRL company filings for the figures marked with a fiscal year, and market data, as of 2026-09-02 for the rest. Filings: SEC EDGAR. Prices are delayed daily-close data.
Last updated 2026-10-08.
Informational only — NOT financial advice. All figures are delayed daily-close data from SEC EDGAR & market data, shown with their as-of date.