Principal Financial Group Inc. Lowers Stock Holdings in Grand Canyon Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:LOPE)

Principal Financial Group Inc. lessened its stake in Grand Canyon Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:LOPE) by 1.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 66,224 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,317 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in Grand Canyon Education were worth $10,847,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. Holding AG acquired a new position in shares of Grand Canyon Education in the third quarter valued at approximately $1,867,000. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans increased its stake in Grand Canyon Education by 4.8% in the 3rd quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 423,633 shares of the company’s stock valued at $60,092,000 after buying an additional 19,577 shares during the period. Sanctuary Advisors LLC raised its position in Grand Canyon Education by 9.2% during the 3rd quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 2,483 shares of the company’s stock worth $352,000 after buying an additional 209 shares during the last quarter. Icon Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Grand Canyon Education by 113.7% in the 3rd quarter. Icon Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 9,213 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,307,000 after acquiring an additional 4,901 shares during the period. Finally, Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Grand Canyon Education by 50.5% in the 3rd quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 42,319 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,003,000 after acquiring an additional 14,207 shares during the period. 94.17% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Barrington Research increased their price target on shares of Grand Canyon Education from $180.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, February 20th. Robert W. Baird boosted their target price on Grand Canyon Education from $170.00 to $186.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 7th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on 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, StockNews.com upgraded Grand Canyon Education from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday.

Insider Activity

In related news, CTO Dilek Marsh sold 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $166.07, for a total value 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 position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Company insiders own 2.00% of the company’s stock.

Grand Canyon Education Trading Up 0.9 %

Shares of LOPE opened at $179.82 on Friday. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $172.52 and its two-hundred day moving average is $156.85. Grand Canyon Education, Inc. has a twelve month low of $126.17 and a twelve month high of $192.18. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.23, a PEG ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.74.

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

Grand Canyon Education 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.