BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S Raises Position in Grand Canyon Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:LOPE)

BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S increased its holdings in Grand Canyon Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:LOPE) by 17.2% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 24,503 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 3,604 shares during the period. BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S owned 0.08% of Grand Canyon Education worth $3,338,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in LOPE. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Grand Canyon Education in the fourth quarter worth $44,529,000. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC raised its position in Grand Canyon Education by 75.5% during the fourth quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC now owns 410,815 shares of the company’s stock valued at $54,244,000 after purchasing an additional 176,797 shares in the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. raised its position in Grand Canyon Education by 105.5% during the fourth quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 333,028 shares of the company’s stock valued at $43,973,000 after purchasing an additional 170,956 shares in the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. raised its position in Grand Canyon Education by 824.4% during the fourth quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 173,643 shares of the company’s stock valued at $22,928,000 after purchasing an additional 154,858 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wasatch Advisors LP raised its position in Grand Canyon Education by 9.4% during the first quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP now owns 463,083 shares of the company’s stock valued at $63,077,000 after purchasing an additional 39,743 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.17% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on Grand Canyon Education from $155.00 to $160.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 28th. Robert W. Baird raised their price target on Grand Canyon Education from $165.00 to $170.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 8th. Finally, Barrington Research raised their price target on Grand Canyon Education from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 8th.

Insider Transactions at Grand Canyon Education

In related news, insider Kathy J. Claypatch sold 1,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $149.20, for a total value of $223,800.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 8,320 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,241,344. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other Grand Canyon Education news, Director Lisa Graham Keegan sold 270 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $147.96, for a total transaction of $39,949.20. Following the transaction, the director now owns 2,635 shares in the company, valued at approximately $389,874.60. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Kathy J. Claypatch sold 1,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $149.20, for a total transaction of $223,800.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 8,320 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,241,344. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 2.00% of the company’s stock.

Grand Canyon Education Stock Down 0.6 %

Shares of LOPE traded down $0.85 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $139.20. The company had a trading volume of 15,833 shares, compared to its average volume of 197,197. The firm has a market cap of $4.14 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.51, a P/E/G ratio of 1.22 and a beta of 0.66. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $141.32 and its 200 day moving average price is $134.76. Grand Canyon Education, Inc. has a 52-week low of $103.29 and a 52-week high of $156.56.

Grand Canyon Education (NASDAQ:LOPE) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 7th. The company reported $2.35 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.22 by $0.13. The firm had revenue of $274.68 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $272.42 million. Grand Canyon Education had a return on equity of 31.81% and a net margin of 21.66%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 9.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.00 earnings per share. On average, research analysts expect that Grand Canyon Education, Inc. will post 7.8 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.