Grand Canyon Education (NASDAQ:LOPE) Reaches New 1-Year High – Here’s Why

Shares of Grand Canyon Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:LOPE) hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Thursday . The company traded as high as $182.23 and last traded at $180.89, with a volume of 155782 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $179.16.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently weighed in on LOPE shares. StockNews.com downgraded Grand Canyon Education from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Barrington Research reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $180.00 price target on shares of Grand Canyon Education in a report on Monday, January 27th. Robert W. Baird raised their price objective on shares of Grand Canyon Education from $170.00 to $186.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 7th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on Grand Canyon Education from $152.00 to $173.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 7th.

Grand Canyon Education Trading Up 1.0 %

The stock has a market cap of $5.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.77, a P/E/G ratio of 1.33 and a beta of 0.74. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $167.00 and its two-hundred day moving average is $152.88.

Grand Canyon Education (NASDAQ:LOPE) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 6th. The company reported $1.48 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.47 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $238.30 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $239.69 million. Grand Canyon Education had a net margin of 22.09% and a return on equity of 31.01%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.26 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts expect that Grand Canyon Education, Inc. will post 8.03 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Grand Canyon Education

In other news, CTO Dilek Marsh sold 1,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $166.07, for a total transaction of $249,105.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief technology officer now owns 21,174 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,516,366.18. This represents a 6.62 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 2.00% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Grand Canyon Education

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of LOPE. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. Holding AG acquired a new position in shares of Grand Canyon Education in the 3rd quarter valued at $1,867,000. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans grew its holdings in Grand Canyon Education by 4.8% during the 3rd quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 423,633 shares of the company’s stock valued at $60,092,000 after purchasing an additional 19,577 shares in the last quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Grand Canyon Education by 9.2% during the third quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 2,483 shares of the company’s stock worth $352,000 after acquiring an additional 209 shares during the last quarter. Icon Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Grand Canyon Education by 113.7% during the 3rd quarter. Icon Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 9,213 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,307,000 after purchasing an additional 4,901 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James & Associates raised its holdings in Grand Canyon Education by 9.8% in the third quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 66,160 shares of the company’s stock valued at $9,385,000 after acquiring an additional 5,902 shares in the last quarter. 94.17% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Grand Canyon Education

Grand Canyon Education, Inc provides education services to colleges and universities in the United States. It offers technology services, including learning management system, internal administration, infrastructure, and support services; academic services, such as program and curriculum, faculty and related training and development, class scheduling, and skills and simulation lab sites; and counseling services and support services comprising admission, financial aid, and field experience and other counseling services.