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Strayer (STRA) Down 1.2% Since Earnings Report: Can It Rebound?

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A month has gone by since the last earnings report for Strayer Education, Inc. (STRA - Free Report) . Shares have lost about 1.2% in that time frame.

Will the recent negative trend continue leading up to its next earnings release, or is STRA due for a breakout? Before we dive into how investors and analysts have reacted as of late, let's take a quick look at the most recent earnings report in order to get a better handle on the important drivers.

Recent Earnings

Strayer reported first-quarter 2018 adjusted earnings of $1.23 per share, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.11 by 10.8%. Also, earnings improved 29.5% year over year.

Revenues improved 1.4% from the prior-year quarter to $116.5 million, owing to higher winter term enrollment. The upside was partly offset by lower revenue per student, considering the continuing effect of scholarships issued in the fall 2017 term.

Enrollment Details

Total enrollment at Strayer University increased 6% to 46,184 students. New student enrollments rose 6% and continuing student enrollments increased 7%.

Financial Details

Strayer Education ended the year with cash and cash equivalents of $165.9 million, compared with $155.9 million at 2017-end.

The company generated $17 million in cash from operating activities in the quarter, compared with $24.5 million in the year-ago period. Capital expenditures totaled $4.2 million compared with $3.8 million in the first quarter of 2017.

The company had $70 million worth of share repurchase authorization as of Mar 31, 2018. Notably, no shares were repurchased in the first quarter.

Q2 Guidance

Total enrollments at Strayer University are expected to grow 8% to approximately 46,800 students from the prior-year quarter.

New student enrollments are anticipated to increase roughly 7%. Continuing student enrollments are likely to increase approximately 8%.

Revenue per student in the quarter is likely to decline 5%.

Tax rate for the quarter is expected in the range of 27-28%

How Have Estimates Been Moving Since Then?

It turns out, fresh estimates flatlined during the past month. There has been one revision higher for the current quarter compared to one lower.

VGM Scores

At this time, STRA has a strong Growth Score of A, though it is lagging a lot on the momentum front with a D. The stock was allocated a grade of C on the value side, putting it in the middle 20% for this investment strategy.

Overall, the stock has an aggregate VGM Score of B. If you aren't focused on one strategy, this score is the one you should be interested in.

Our style scores indicate that the stock is more suitable for growth investors than value investors.

Outlook

STRA has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). We expect an above average return from the stock in the next few months.


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