Grand Canyon Education (NASDAQ:LOPE) Releases Q3 2026 Earnings Guidance

by · The Markets Daily

Grand Canyon Education (NASDAQ:LOPE – Get Free Report) issued an update on its third quarter 2026 earnings guidance on Wednesday morning. The company provided earnings per share guidance of 1.720-1.910 for the period. The company issued revenue guidance of -. Grand Canyon Education also updated its FY 2026 guidance to 9.550-10.160 EPS.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have issued reports on LOPE. Barrington Research reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $230.00 price objective on shares of Grand Canyon Education in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Wall Street Zen cut Grand Canyon Education from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, November 8th. Finally, Weiss Ratings lowered Grand Canyon Education from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 13th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $220.00.

View Our Latest Research Report on LOPE

Grand Canyon Education Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ LOPE traded up $5.44 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $167.79. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 470,608 shares, compared to its average volume of 291,475. The company has a market cap of $4.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.61, a P/E/G ratio of 1.06 and a beta of 0.74. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $169.35 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $184.81. Grand Canyon Education has a fifty-two week low of $149.83 and a fifty-two week high of $223.04.

Grand Canyon Education (NASDAQ:LOPE – Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 18th. The company reported $3.21 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.19 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $308.12 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $307.92 million. Grand Canyon Education had a return on equity of 32.41% and a net margin of 19.38%. Sell-side analysts forecast that Grand Canyon Education will post 8.81 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Key Grand Canyon Education News

Here are the key news stories impacting Grand Canyon Education this week:

  • Positive Sentiment: Q4 reported EPS slightly beat expectations: GCE reported quarterly EPS of $3.21, narrowly topping consensus and showing year‑over‑year EPS growth — a clear near‑term earnings beat that supports the share price. Press Release
  • Neutral Sentiment: Full‑year FY2026 EPS guidance provided as a range of 9.550–10.160, which roughly brackets consensus (10.00) — the range leaves room for upside but also contains downside risk depending on execution. (Guidance announced 2/18)
  • Neutral Sentiment: Q4 2026 EPS guidance set at 3.570–3.850, giving investors a clear Q4 target but without a published street consensus in these releases. (Guidance announced 2/18)
  • Negative Sentiment: Q1 2026 guidance materially below consensus: management guided Q1 EPS to 2.700–2.730 vs. consensus ~3.19 — a significant near‑term shortfall that typically pressures the stock. (Guidance announced 2/18)
  • Negative Sentiment: Q2 2026 guidance also well below consensus: guidance 1.560–1.680 vs. consensus ~2.75, signaling front‑loaded weakness early in FY2026 and raising concern about near‑term revenue/earnings cadence. (Guidance announced 2/18)
  • Neutral Sentiment: Q3 2026 guidance provided at 1.720–1.910; no consensus included in the release, so investors will watch how this quarter stacks up to expectations. (Guidance announced 2/18)
  • Negative Sentiment: Balance‑sheet / cash note from third‑party reporting: one data provider flagged a large drop in cash & equivalents YoY and highlighted that some third‑party numbers showed revenue/EPS slightly missing certain estimates — this raises some caution around liquidity and data reconciliation. Quiver Article

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Grand Canyon Education

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of LOPE. Toronto Dominion Bank bought a new stake in shares of Grand Canyon Education during the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Employees Retirement System of Texas acquired a new position in Grand Canyon Education in the third quarter valued at approximately $48,000. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. grew its position in shares of Grand Canyon Education by 24.8% during the 2nd quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 412 shares of the company’s stock worth $78,000 after buying an additional 82 shares during the period. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Grand Canyon Education in the 4th quarter valued at $115,000. Finally, Group One Trading LLC bought a new stake in shares of Grand Canyon Education in the 3rd quarter valued at $133,000. 94.17% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Grand Canyon Education Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

Grand Canyon Education, Inc provides a suite of higher‐education services through a long-term agreement with Grand Canyon University (GCU), one of the nation’s largest private Christian universities. The company’s offerings encompass a full range of academic and operational support functions, including enrollment management, student recruitment, curriculum development, instructional delivery, and technology infrastructure. Through its online program management capabilities, Grand Canyon Education helps design, market and deliver undergraduate, graduate and certificate programs to meet the needs of both traditional and non‐traditional learners.

Core services include digital marketing, admissions support, student success coaching, learning management systems and faculty recruitment.

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