Grand Canyon Education (NASDAQ:LOPE) Upgraded at StockNews.com

by · The Markets Daily

Grand Canyon Education (NASDAQ:LOPE – Get Free Report) was upgraded by StockNews.com from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a note issued to investors on Tuesday.

A number of other equities research analysts have also recently issued reports on the company. BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on Grand Canyon Education from $160.00 to $162.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 7th. Barrington Research restated an “outperform” rating and set a $165.00 target price on shares of Grand Canyon Education in a report on Friday, September 20th.

Check Out Our Latest Research Report on Grand Canyon Education

Grand Canyon Education Trading Down 1.2 %

Shares of LOPE opened at $140.87 on Tuesday. Grand Canyon Education has a 12 month low of $112.38 and a 12 month high of $157.53. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $143.84 and a 200 day simple moving average of $140.68. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.70, a PEG ratio of 1.21 and a beta of 0.69.

Grand Canyon Education (NASDAQ:LOPE – Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 6th. The company reported $1.27 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.10 by $0.17. The company had revenue of $227.50 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $223.56 million. Grand Canyon Education had a return on equity of 31.49% and a net margin of 21.88%. Grand Canyon Education’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.01 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that Grand Canyon Education will post 7.98 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CTO Dilek Marsh sold 1,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 18th. The stock was 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 $3,202,249.02. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 2.00% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Grand Canyon Education

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of LOPE. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. acquired a new position in Grand Canyon Education in the 2nd quarter valued at about $131,000. Sanctuary Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Grand Canyon Education during the second quarter worth approximately $300,000. Aristides Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Grand Canyon Education in the second quarter valued at approximately $206,000. Cetera Investment Advisers increased its stake in shares of Grand Canyon Education by 1.6% during the second quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 16,261 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,275,000 after purchasing an additional 255 shares during the period. Finally, Quarry LP acquired a new stake in Grand Canyon Education during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $109,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.17% of the company’s stock.

About Grand Canyon Education

(Get Free Report)

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.

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