Smartleaf Asset Management LLC Acquires 223 Shares of Grand Canyon Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:LOPE)

Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in Grand Canyon Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:LOPE) by 19.1% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,391 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 223 shares during the period. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Grand Canyon Education were worth $227,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. FMR LLC boosted its stake in Grand Canyon Education by 12.0% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 1,323,406 shares of the company’s stock valued at $187,725,000 after acquiring an additional 141,648 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Grand Canyon Education by 0.9% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 883,971 shares of the company’s stock valued at $125,391,000 after purchasing an additional 8,159 shares during the last quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP boosted its position in shares of Grand Canyon Education by 15.4% in the 3rd quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP now owns 513,767 shares of the company’s stock worth $72,878,000 after purchasing an additional 68,579 shares in the last quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans grew its stake 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 worth $60,092,000 after buying an additional 19,577 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its position in Grand Canyon Education by 0.3% during the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 332,642 shares of the company’s stock valued at $47,185,000 after buying an additional 1,101 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.17% of the company’s stock.

Grand Canyon Education Stock Up 0.7 %

Grand Canyon Education stock opened at $181.00 on Thursday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $173.61 and a 200 day moving average price of $157.77. The company has a market capitalization of $5.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.78. Grand Canyon Education, Inc. has a 52 week low of $126.17 and a 52 week high of $192.18.

Grand Canyon Education (NASDAQ:LOPE) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 19th. The company reported $2.95 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 business had revenue of $292.57 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $289.62 million. Research analysts anticipate that Grand Canyon Education, Inc. will post 8.81 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Grand Canyon Education

In related news, CTO Dilek Marsh sold 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $166.07, for a total transaction of $249,105.00. Following the sale, the chief technology officer now directly owns 21,174 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,516,366.18. This represents a 6.62 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 2.00% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

LOPE has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Robert W. Baird raised their price target on Grand Canyon Education from $170.00 to $186.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, November 7th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Grand Canyon Education from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on shares of Grand Canyon Education from $181.00 to $202.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Finally, Barrington Research lifted their price objective on shares of Grand Canyon Education from $180.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 20th.

Grand Canyon Education Company Profile

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.