STRA (Strategic Education) Piotroski F-Score: 8 (As of Jul. 25, 2026) — 33% Above Median

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STRA Strategic Education Inc STRA
76 GF Score
Price $75.64
GF Value $98.62
Valuation Modestly Undervalued
! 1 Warning Sign
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What is Strategic Education Piotroski F-Score?

Strategic Education STRA +0.80% 76 Piotroski F-Score is 8 as of Jul. 25, 2026, which is 33% above its 10-year median of 6.00. GuruFocus rates STRA with a GF Score™ of 76/100 and a GF Value™ of $98.62 (Modestly Undervalued). The stock has 1 warning sign investors should review. Among 251 Education companies, Strategic Education ranks better than 98.8% on this metric.

Good Sign:

Piotroski F-Score is 8, indicates a very healthy situation.

The zones of discrimination were as such:

Good or high score = 7, 8, 9
Bad or low score = 0, 1, 2, 3

Strategic Education has an F-score of 8. It is a good or high score, which usually indicates a very healthy situation.

The historical rank and industry rank for Strategic Education's Piotroski F-Score or its related term are showing as below:

STRA' s Piotroski F-Score Range Over the Past 10 Years
Min: 3   Med: 6   Max: 8
Current: 8

During the past 13 years, the highest Piotroski F-Score of Strategic Education was 8. The lowest was 3. And the median was 6.

Strategic Education  (NAS:STRA) Piotroski F-Score Explanation

The developer of the system is Joseph D. Piotroski is relatively unknown accounting professor who shuns publicity and rarely gives interviews.

He graduated from the University of Illinois with a B.S. in accounting in 1989, received an M.B.A. from Indiana University in 1994. Five years later, in 1999, after earning a Ph.D. in accounting from the University of Michigan, he became an associate professor of accounting at the University of Chicago.

In 2000, he wrote a research paper called "Value Investing: The Use of Historical Financial Statement Information to Separate Winners from Losers" (pdf).

He wanted to see if he can develop a system (using a simple nine-point scoring system) that can increase the returns of a strategy of investing in low price to book (referred to in the paper as high book to market) value companies.

What he found was something that exceeded his most optimistic expectations.

Buying only those companies that scored highest (8 or 9) on his nine-point scale, or F-Score as he called it, over the 20 year period from 1976 to 1996 led to an average out-performance over the market of 13.4%.

Even more impressive were the results of a strategy of investing in the highest F-Score companies (8 or 9) and shorting companies with the lowest F-Score (0 or 1).

Over the same period from 1976 to 1996 (20 years) this strategy led to an average yearly return of 23%, substantially outperforming the average S&P 500 index return of 15.83% over the same period.


Strategic Education Piotroski F-Score Related Terms


Strategic Education Piotroski F-Score Historical Data

* Premium members only.

The historical data trend for Strategic Education's Piotroski F-Score can be seen below:

* For Operating Data section: All numbers are indicated by the unit behind each term and all currency related amount are in USD.
* For other sections: All numbers are in millions except for per share data, ratio, and percentage. All currency related amount are indicated in the company's associated stock exchange currency.

Strategic Education Piotroski F-Score Chart

Strategic Education Annual Data
Trend Dec16 Dec17 Dec18 Dec19 Dec20 Dec21 Dec22 Dec23 Dec24 Dec25
Piotroski F-Score
Get a 7-Day Free Trial Premium Member Only Premium Member Only 5.00 5.00 8.00 7.00 8.00

Strategic Education Quarterly Data
Jun21 Sep21 Dec21 Mar22 Jun22 Sep22 Dec22 Mar23 Jun23 Sep23 Dec23 Mar24 Jun24 Sep24 Dec24 Mar25 Jun25 Sep25 Dec25 Mar26
Piotroski F-Score Get a 7-Day Free Trial Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only 7.00 7.00 7.00 8.00 8.00

STRA vs MH, COUR, LINC: Piotroski F-Score Comparison

For the Education & Training Services subindustry, Strategic Education's Piotroski F-Score, along with its competitors' market caps and Piotroski F-Score data, can be viewed below:

* Competitive companies are chosen from companies within the same industry, with headquarter located in same country, with closest market capitalization; x-axis shows the market cap, and y-axis shows the term value; the bigger the dot, the larger the market cap. Note that "N/A" values will not show up in the chart.


Strategic Education Piotroski F-Score vs Education Industry

For the Education industry and Consumer Defensive sector, Strategic Education's Piotroski F-Score distribution charts can be found below:

* The bar in red indicates where Strategic Education's Piotroski F-Score falls into.


STRA
76GF Score
Strategic Education Inc STRA
Piotroski F-Score is just one metric. See GF Score™, valuation, warning signs, and more.
View Full Analysis

How is the Piotroski F-Score calculated?

* For Operating Data section: All numbers are indicated by the unit behind each term and all currency related amount are in USD.
* For other sections: All numbers are in millions except for per share data, ratio, and percentage. All currency related amount are indicated in the company's associated stock exchange currency.

This Year (Mar26) TTM:Last Year (Mar25) TTM:
Net Income was 32.331 + 26.63 + 37.909 + 32.809 = $130 Mil.
Cash Flow from Operations was 31.208 + 60.138 + 39.196 + 87.374 = $218 Mil.
Revenue was 321.471 + 319.949 + 323.21 + 305.928 = $1,271 Mil.
Gross Profit was 155.318 + 157.225 + 163.262 + 151.157 = $627 Mil.
Average Total Assets from the begining of this year (Mar25)
to the end of this year (Mar26) was
(2074.213 + 2091.523 + 2111.963 + 2038.54 + 2078.376) / 5 = $2078.923 Mil.
Total Assets at the begining of this year (Mar25) was $2,074 Mil.
Long-Term Debt & Capital Lease Obligation was $95 Mil.
Total Current Assets was $304 Mil.
Total Current Liabilities was $263 Mil.
Net Income was 29.898 + 27.748 + 25.336 + 29.744 = $113 Mil.

Revenue was 312.266 + 305.958 + 311.456 + 303.59 = $1,233 Mil.
Gross Profit was 149.031 + 143.29 + 144.572 + 145.304 = $582 Mil.
Average Total Assets from the begining of last year (Mar24)
to the end of last year (Mar25) was
(2155.236 + 2177.524 + 2187.524 + 2049.735 + 2074.213) / 5 = $2128.8464 Mil.
Total Assets at the begining of last year (Mar24) was $2,155 Mil.
Long-Term Debt & Capital Lease Obligation was $99 Mil.
Total Current Assets was $328 Mil.
Total Current Liabilities was $259 Mil.

*Note: If the latest quarterly/semi-annual/annual total assets data is 0, then we will use previous quarterly/semi-annual/annual data for all the items in the balance sheet.

Profitability

Question 1. Return on Assets (ROA)

Net income before extraordinary items for the year divided by Total Assets at the beginning of the year.

Score 1 if positive, 0 if negative.

Strategic Education's current Net Income (TTM) was 130. ==> Positive ==> Score 1.

Question 2. Cash Flow Return on Assets (CFROA)

Net cash flow from operating activities (operating cash flow) divided by Total Assets at the beginning of the year.

Score 1 if positive, 0 if negative.

Strategic Education's current Cash Flow from Operations (TTM) was 218. ==> Positive ==> Score 1.

Question 3. Change in Return on Assets

Compare this year's return on assets (1) to last year's return on assets.

Score 1 if it's higher, 0 if it's lower.

ROA (This Year)=Net Income/Total Assets (Mar25)
=129.679/2074.213
=0.06251962

ROA (Last Year)=Net Income/Total Assets (Mar24)
=112.726/2155.236
=0.05230332

Strategic Education's return on assets of this year was 0.06251962. Strategic Education's return on assets of last year was 0.05230332. ==> This year is higher. ==> Score 1.

Question 4. Quality of Earnings (Accrual)

Compare Cash flow return on assets (2) to return on assets (1)

Score 1 if CFROA > ROA, 0 if CFROA <= ROA.

Strategic Education's current Net Income (TTM) was 130. Strategic Education's current Cash Flow from Operations (TTM) was 218. ==> 218 > 130 ==> CFROA > ROA ==> Score 1.

Funding

Question 5. Change in Gearing or Leverage

Compare this year's gearing (long-term debt divided by average total assets) to last year's gearing.

Score 0 if this year's gearing is higher, 1 otherwise.

Gearing (This Year: Mar26)=Long-Term Debt & Capital Lease Obligation/Average Total Assets from Mar25 to Mar26
=94.884/2078.923
=0.04564094

Gearing (Last Year: Mar25)=Long-Term Debt & Capital Lease Obligation/Average Total Assets from Mar24 to Mar25
=99.407/2128.8464
=0.04669524

Strategic Education's gearing of this year was 0.04564094. Strategic Education's gearing of last year was 0.04669524. ==> This year is lower or equal to last year. ==> Score 1.

Question 6. Change in Working Capital (Liquidity)

Compare this year's current ratio (current assets divided by current liabilities) to last year's current ratio.

Score 1 if this year's current ratio is higher, 0 if it's lower

Current Ratio (This Year: Mar26)=Total Current Assets/Total Current Liabilities
=303.84/262.926
=1.15561032

Current Ratio (Last Year: Mar25)=Total Current Assets/Total Current Liabilities
=328.287/259.436
=1.26538722

Strategic Education's current ratio of this year was 1.15561032. Strategic Education's current ratio of last year was 1.26538722. ==> Last year's current ratio is higher ==> Score 0.

Question 7. Change in Shares in Issue

Compare the number of shares in issue this year, to the number in issue last year.

Score 0 if there is larger number of shares in issue this year, 1 otherwise.

Strategic Education's number of shares in issue this year was 22.171. Strategic Education's number of shares in issue last year was 24.065. ==> There is smaller number of shares in issue this year, or the same. ==> Score 1.

Efficiency

Question 8. Change in Gross Margin

Compare this year's gross margin (Gross Profit divided by sales) to last year's.

Score 1 if this year's gross margin is higher, 0 if it's lower.

Gross Margin (This Year: TTM)=Gross Profit/Revenue
=626.962/1270.558
=0.49345406

Gross Margin (Last Year: TTM)=Gross Profit/Revenue
=582.197/1233.27
=0.47207586

Strategic Education's gross margin of this year was 0.49345406. Strategic Education's gross margin of last year was 0.47207586. ==> This year's gross margin is higher. ==> Score 1.

Question 9. Change in asset turnover

Compare this year's asset turnover (total sales for the year divided by total assets at the beginning of the year) to last year's asset turnover ratio.

Score 1 if this year's asset turnover ratio is higher, 0 if it's lower

Asset Turnover (This Year)=Revenue/Total Assets at the Beginning of This Year (Mar25)
=1270.558/2074.213
=0.61254943

Asset Turnover (Last Year)=Revenue/Total Assets at the Beginning of Last Year (Mar24)
=1233.27/2155.236
=0.5722204

Strategic Education's asset turnover of this year was 0.61254943. Strategic Education's asset turnover of last year was 0.5722204. ==> This year's asset turnover is higher. ==> Score 1.

Evaluation

Piotroski F-Score= Que. 1+ Que. 2+ Que. 3+Que. 4+Que. 5+Que. 6+Que. 7+Que. 8+Que. 9
=1+1+1+1+1+0+1+1+1
=8

Good or high score = 7, 8, 9
Bad or low score = 0, 1, 2, 3

Strategic Education has an F-score of 8. It is a good or high score, which usually indicates a very healthy situation.

Frequently Asked Questions Learn more about Piotroski F-Score →
What does a Piotroski F-Score of 8 mean?
Strategic Education (STRA) has a Piotroski F-Score of 8 as of Jul. 25, 2026. The Piotroski F-score grades a company's business operating strength from 0-9. View historical data on Strategic Education and its competitors. This is 33% above median its historical median of 6.00. Over the past decade, Strategic Education's Piotroski F-Score has ranged from 3.00 to 8.00. According to the industry distribution chart, Strategic Education ranks #3 out of 251 companies in the Education industry, placing it in the top 1.2%.
Is Strategic Education's Piotroski F-Score too high?
Strategic Education's current Piotroski F-Score of 8 is 33% above median its 10-year median of 6.00. Over the past 10 years, this metric has ranged from a low of 3.00 to a high of 8.00. The Education industry median Piotroski F-Score is 5.00. Strategic Education's value of 8 is 60% above this industry median. Based on the distribution chart, Strategic Education ranks #3 out of 251 companies in the Education industry, which is in the top quartile — a strong position relative to peers. Overall, Strategic Education has a GF Score™ of 76/100 and is considered Modestly Undervalued, reflecting its overall financial health beyond just this single metric.
How does Strategic Education's Piotroski F-Score compare to MH and COUR?
According to the Education industry distribution chart, Strategic Education ranks #3 out of 251 companies for Piotroski F-Score. This places Strategic Education in the top 1% of its industry — outperforming the majority of peers. The industry median Piotroski F-Score is 5.00. Strategic Education's value of 8 is 60% above this benchmark. Historically, Strategic Education's own Piotroski F-Score has ranged from 3.00 to 8.00 over the past decade. While the company's 10-year median is 6.00 vs. the industry median of 5.00, Strategic Education has consistently been above the industry average. See the competitive comparison table and distribution chart on this page for a detailed peer-by-peer breakdown.
What is a good Piotroski F-Score for an Education company?
The median Piotroski F-Score among Education companies is 5.00, based on 251 companies in the industry. Companies in the top quartile (top 25%) have a Piotroski F-Score significantly above this median, while those in the bottom quartile fall well below. However, Piotroski F-Score should not be evaluated in isolation — investors should consider it alongside profitability, growth, and financial strength metrics. Strategic Education's current Piotroski F-Score of 8 is 60% above the industry median. Use the industry distribution chart on this page to see where any company falls relative to its peers.
What does a high Piotroski F-Score mean?
A high Piotroski F-Score can signal that a stock is expensive relative to its fundamentals. The Piotroski F-score grades a company's business operating strength from 0-9. View historical data on Strategic Education and its competitors. For the Education industry, the median Piotroski F-Score is 5.00 — values significantly above this may indicate overvaluation, while values below may suggest a bargain or underlying issues. Strategic Education's current Piotroski F-Score is 8, which is 33% above median its own 10-year median of 6.00. However, context matters — high-growth companies often justify higher valuations. Always evaluate alongside other metrics like GF Score™ and GF Value™.
Is Strategic Education stock overvalued right now?
Based on GuruFocus' analysis, Strategic Education (STRA) is currently considered Modestly Undervalued. The stock's GF Value™ is $98.62, compared to a current price of $75.64 — trading 23.3% below its estimated fair value. The current Piotroski F-Score is 8, which is 33% above median its 10-year median of 6.00 and 60% above the Education industry median of 5.00. Strategic Education's overall GF Score™ is 76/100 with 1 warning sign to review. Investors should evaluate multiple metrics — including profitability, growth, and financial strength — before making a decision.
How is Piotroski F-Score calculated?
Piotroski F-Score is calculated from a company's financial statements. For Strategic Education (STRA), the current Piotroski F-Score is 8 as of Jul. 25, 2026. GuruFocus calculates this using data sourced from SEC filings and annual reports. See the calculation section and 30-year financial data on this page for the full breakdown.

Is Strategic Education (STRA) Overvalued in 2026?

Based on GuruFocus' analysis, Strategic Education stock appears to be undervalued. The current stock price of $75.64 is trading 23.3% below its estimated GF Value™ of $98.62. GuruFocus considers Strategic Education to be Modestly Undervalued.

Key valuation signals for STRA:

  • Piotroski F-Score: 8 (33% above median its 10-year median of 6.00)
  • GF Value™: $98.62 vs. price of $75.64 (23.3% below fair value)
  • GF Score™: 76/100 with 1 warning sign
  • Industry Position: 60% above the Education median (#3 of 251)

No single metric tells the full story. See the STRA stock analysis page for a complete view including 30-year financials, guru trades, and insider activity.


Strategic Education Business Description

Other Exchanges SQE:Germany
Address 2303 Dulles Station Boulevard, Herndon, VA, USA, 20171
Strategic Education Inc. is an education services company that provides access to high-quality education through campus-based and online post-secondary education offerings, as well as through programs to develop job-ready skills for high-demand markets. The company operates through wholly-owned subsidiaries Strayer University and Capella University, both accredited post-secondary institutions of higher education located in the United States, as well as Torrens University, an accredited post-secondary institution of higher education located in Australia. It provide employees with access to affordable and industry relevant training, certificate, and degree programs. The reportable segments of the company are U.S. Higher Education, Australia/New Zealand and Education Technology Services.
76GF Score

Get the complete analysis for STRA

Piotroski F-Score is just one metric. See GF Value™, 30-year financials, guru trades, warning signs, and more.

$75.64
Price
$98.62
GF Value