Earnings Webcast Scheduled
Strategic Education Schedules Webcast to Discuss Second Quarter 2026 Financial Results on July 29
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Strategic Education, Inc. (NASDAQ: STRA) will hold a conference call on July 29, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. ET to share its second quarter financial results, according to Business Wire. The live webcast will be available online and archived at the company's investor relations page afterward.
The announcement comes at a critical moment for the for-profit education company. Its Q1 2026 revenue of $305.9 million missed analyst expectations of $313.8 million, sending the stock down 9.33% before the market opened in April, per ADVFN.
CEO Promised Q1 Was the Low Point
After the Q1 miss, CEO Karl McDonnell tried to calm investors. He said, "We expect that the first quarter will be the low point of the year in both absolute revenue and revenue growth." That puts heavy pressure on the July 29 call to show a rebound.
One bright spot from Q1: the company's education technology segment grew revenue by 21%. That unit now makes up 46% of total operating income, according to Stock Titan. It covers corporate tuition programs through Workforce Edge, which has 82 active company agreements reaching 4 million employees.
AI Cuts Costs While Enrollment Declines Hit Hard
Strategic Education has leaned on artificial intelligence to cut costs. The company reduced annual expenses by $30 million through AI-driven efficiency programs. That helped expand its profit margin by 200 basis points, a key number Wall Street will watch on July 29.
But traditional enrollment is falling. Unaffiliated U.S. students dropped 4% in Q1. Its Australia and New Zealand segment, which it bought for $642.7 million in 2020, saw enrollment fall 3% due to Australian government caps on international students, per Markets Financial Content.
Analysts Split Between $80 and $124 Price Targets
Wall Street is divided on the stock. Truist Securities set a low target of $80, citing worries about the Australia enrollment decline. Bank of America Securities is far more optimistic, with a target of $124. On June 9, 2026, Zacks Investment Research upgraded STRA to a "Buy" rating.
Some analysts think the stock is undervalued by 13% to 26%, with shares trading at roughly 13.5 times earnings. The company also holds $162.6 million in cash and bought back $40 million of its own shares in Q1, signaling management confidence, according to Stock Titan.
New Federal Rules Add Regulatory Stakes to July Call
The July 29 results will also reveal how well Strategic Education handles new U.S. Department of Education rules. The "Gainful Employment" and "Financial Value Transparency" rules are now fully active in 2026. These rules require schools to prove graduates earn enough to repay their student loans.
About 1,700 programs at for-profit schools are at risk of failing these debt-to-earnings tests, per research from Tyton Partners. Strategic Education serves working adults through Strayer and Capella Universities. Its record-high student retention rate of 89% may help it pass the new federal standards.
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