Heartland Advisors Inc. Sells 3,071 Shares of Grand Canyon Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:LOPE)

Heartland Advisors Inc. lowered its stake in shares of Grand Canyon Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:LOPE) by 5.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 57,098 shares of the company’s stock after selling 3,071 shares during the quarter. Heartland Advisors Inc. owned about 0.20% of Grand Canyon Education worth $9,353,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in Grand Canyon Education by 0.3% in the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 332,642 shares of the company’s stock worth $47,185,000 after purchasing an additional 1,101 shares during the period. Raymond James Trust N.A. lifted its holdings in shares of Grand Canyon Education by 5.9% during the 3rd quarter. Raymond James Trust N.A. now owns 1,983 shares of the company’s stock worth $281,000 after acquiring an additional 111 shares during the period. Cerity Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of Grand Canyon Education by 41.8% in the third quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 20,995 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,978,000 after buying an additional 6,184 shares during the period. FMR LLC increased its position in Grand Canyon Education by 12.0% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 1,323,406 shares of the company’s stock valued at $187,725,000 after purchasing an additional 141,648 shares during the period. Finally, Glenmede Trust Co. NA acquired a new position in shares of Grand Canyon Education during the 3rd quarter valued at $334,000. 94.17% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently commented on LOPE shares. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on Grand Canyon Education from $181.00 to $202.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. Barrington Research lifted their price target on shares of Grand Canyon Education from $180.00 to $205.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 20th. Finally, StockNews.com raised Grand Canyon Education from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th.

Grand Canyon Education Stock Up 3.0 %

NASDAQ:LOPE opened at $178.18 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $175.66 and a 200 day moving average of $160.79. Grand Canyon Education, Inc. has a 52 week low of $126.17 and a 52 week high of $192.18. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.02, a PEG ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.78.

Grand Canyon Education (NASDAQ:LOPE) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 19th. The company reported $2.95 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.93 by $0.02. Grand Canyon Education had a net margin of 21.90% and a return on equity of 30.67%. The firm had revenue of $292.57 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $289.62 million. As a group, analysts expect that Grand Canyon Education, Inc. will post 8.81 EPS for the current year.

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.