Stephens Inc. AR Purchases New Stake in Grand Canyon Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:LOPE)

Stephens Inc. AR purchased a new stake in Grand Canyon Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:LOPE) during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 2,437 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $346,000.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Oak Ridge Investments LLC bought a new stake in Grand Canyon Education in the 3rd quarter valued at $2,622,000. Reston Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Grand Canyon Education during the 3rd quarter worth $28,000. Custom Index Systems LLC bought a new position in Grand Canyon Education during the 3rd quarter worth $397,000. State of Alaska Department of Revenue increased its position in Grand Canyon Education by 0.3% during the 3rd quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 71,386 shares of the company’s stock worth $10,125,000 after buying an additional 225 shares during the period. Finally, Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC increased its position in Grand Canyon Education by 33.3% during the 3rd quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 4,162 shares of the company’s stock worth $590,000 after buying an additional 1,039 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 94.17% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have weighed in on LOPE. Barrington Research increased their price objective on Grand Canyon Education from $165.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday. BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on Grand Canyon Education from $152.00 to $173.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday. StockNews.com upgraded Grand Canyon Education from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday. Finally, Robert W. Baird increased their price objective on Grand Canyon Education from $170.00 to $186.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday.

Grand Canyon Education Stock Performance

LOPE opened at $163.54 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $4.82 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 0.70. Grand Canyon Education, Inc. has a 52-week low of $118.48 and a 52-week high of $164.93. The business’s fifty day moving average is $139.41 and its 200-day moving average is $141.36.

Grand Canyon Education (NASDAQ:LOPE) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, November 6th. The company reported $1.48 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.46 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $238.30 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $239.69 million. Grand Canyon Education had a return on equity of 31.49% and a net margin of 21.88%. Grand Canyon Education’s quarterly revenue was up 7.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.26 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Grand Canyon Education, Inc. will post 7.98 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Grand Canyon Education

In other news, CTO Dilek Marsh sold 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $141.23, for a total transaction of $211,845.00. Following 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 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 2.00% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.