Grand Canyon Education (NASDAQ:LOPE) Stock Rating Upgraded by StockNews.com

Grand Canyon Education (NASDAQ:LOPE) was upgraded by equities researchers at StockNews.com from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note issued on Thursday.

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

Grand Canyon Education Stock Up 5.5 %

Shares of Grand Canyon Education stock opened at $172.52 on Thursday. Grand Canyon Education has a 12-month low of $118.48 and a 12-month high of $172.88. The company has a market capitalization of $5.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.67, a PEG ratio of 1.34 and a beta of 0.70. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $139.96 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $141.66.

Grand Canyon Education (NASDAQ:LOPE) last posted its quarterly 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. Grand Canyon Education had a net margin of 22.09% and a return on equity of 31.20%. The business had revenue of $238.30 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $239.69 million. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.26 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Grand Canyon Education will post 7.98 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at Grand Canyon Education

In related news, CTO Dilek Marsh sold 1,500 shares of the business’s 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 owns 22,674 shares in the company, valued at $3,202,249.02. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 2.00% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Grand Canyon Education

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Reston Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Grand Canyon Education during the third quarter valued at $28,000. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its position in Grand Canyon Education by 14,150.0% during the 2nd quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 285 shares of the company’s stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 283 shares during the last quarter. Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new position in Grand Canyon Education during the 3rd quarter worth about $60,000. Blue Trust Inc. grew its position in shares of Grand Canyon Education by 710.7% in the 2nd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 608 shares of the company’s stock valued at $83,000 after buying an additional 533 shares during the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC increased its stake in shares of Grand Canyon Education by 46.1% in the second quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 640 shares of the company’s stock valued at $90,000 after buying an additional 202 shares during the period. 94.17% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.