Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. Makes New Investment in Grand Canyon Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:LOPE)

Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Grand Canyon Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:LOPE) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 2,242 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $296,000.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Raymond James & Associates grew its position in shares of Grand Canyon Education by 11.7% during the 3rd quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 66,243 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,742,000 after purchasing an additional 6,930 shares in the last quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank grew its position in Grand Canyon Education by 11.2% during the third quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 6,005 shares of the company’s stock worth $702,000 after buying an additional 607 shares in the last quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC bought a new position in Grand Canyon Education in the 3rd quarter worth about $827,000. Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Grand Canyon Education in the 3rd quarter valued at about $398,000. Finally, Capital Insight Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of Grand Canyon Education by 10.7% during the 3rd quarter. Capital Insight Partners LLC now owns 2,612 shares of the company’s stock valued at $305,000 after acquiring an additional 252 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 94.17% of the company’s stock.

Grand Canyon Education Trading Up 1.5 %

LOPE opened at $149.26 on Friday. Grand Canyon Education, Inc. has a 12 month low of $99.65 and a 12 month high of $156.56. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $133.57 and its 200-day moving average price is $132.48. The company has a market cap of $4.45 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.88, a P/E/G ratio of 1.19 and a beta of 0.60.

Grand Canyon Education (NASDAQ:LOPE) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 7th. The company reported $2.35 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.22 by $0.13. Grand Canyon Education had a return on equity of 31.75% and a net margin of 21.33%. The business had revenue of $274.68 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $272.42 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.00 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 9.8% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts forecast that Grand Canyon Education, Inc. will post 7.65 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on shares of Grand Canyon Education from $150.00 to $155.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Barrington Research lifted their price objective on shares of Grand Canyon Education from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday. Finally, Robert W. Baird increased their target price on Grand Canyon Education from $165.00 to $170.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CTO Dilek Marsh sold 1,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $132.65, for a total transaction of $198,975.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief technology officer now directly owns 25,674 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,405,656.10. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 2.00% of the company’s stock.

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.