Grand Canyon Education (NASDAQ:LOPE) Lowered to “Hold” Rating by StockNews.com

StockNews.com downgraded shares of Grand Canyon Education (NASDAQ:LOPE) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report report published on Friday.

Several other analysts have also issued reports on the stock. BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on shares of Grand Canyon Education from $152.00 to $173.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 7th. Robert W. Baird lifted their price target on shares of Grand Canyon Education from $170.00 to $186.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 7th. Finally, Barrington Research boosted their price objective on shares of Grand Canyon Education from $165.00 to $180.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 7th.

Grand Canyon Education Trading Down 3.2 %

Shares of LOPE opened at $159.62 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $4.65 billion, a PE ratio of 20.98, a P/E/G ratio of 1.33 and a beta of 0.70. Grand Canyon Education has a 1-year low of $118.48 and a 1-year high of $173.37. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $142.39 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $143.01.

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

Insider Activity

In related news, CTO Dilek Marsh sold 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $141.23, for a total value of $211,845.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief technology officer now directly owns 22,674 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,202,249.02. This represents a 6.21 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 2.00% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Grand Canyon Education

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Barclays PLC lifted its stake in shares of Grand Canyon Education by 0.4% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 18,977 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,692,000 after buying an additional 84 shares in the last quarter. MML Investors Services LLC raised its holdings in Grand Canyon Education by 1.6% during the third quarter. MML Investors Services LLC now owns 5,740 shares of the company’s stock valued at $814,000 after acquiring an additional 91 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its position in shares of Grand Canyon Education by 4.3% in the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 27,137 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,849,000 after acquiring an additional 1,110 shares in the last quarter. Wolverine Trading LLC boosted its stake in shares of Grand Canyon Education by 16.9% in the third quarter. Wolverine Trading LLC now owns 4,608 shares of the company’s stock worth $656,000 after acquiring an additional 666 shares during the period. Finally, Weiss Asset Management LP purchased a new stake in shares of Grand Canyon Education during the third quarter worth about $4,942,000. 94.17% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.