Burney Co. Takes $4.91 Million Position in Grand Canyon Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:LOPE)

Burney Co. acquired a new stake in Grand Canyon Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:LOPE) during the first quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund acquired 36,055 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,911,000.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of LOPE. SG Americas Securities LLC boosted its stake in shares of Grand Canyon Education by 58.4% in the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 2,458 shares of the company’s stock valued at $325,000 after purchasing an additional 906 shares during the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Grand Canyon Education by 64.0% in the 4th quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 7,783 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,028,000 after purchasing an additional 3,036 shares during the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Grand Canyon Education by 120.2% in the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 425 shares of the company’s stock valued at $56,000 after purchasing an additional 232 shares during the last quarter. Trust Point Inc. bought a new position in Grand Canyon Education during the fourth quarter worth $1,629,000. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC bought a new position in Grand Canyon Education during the fourth quarter worth $2,789,000. 94.17% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Grand Canyon Education Stock Down 0.9 %

LOPE traded down $1.34 during trading on Friday, hitting $151.88. 140,403 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 143,487. The business’s 50 day moving average is $143.74 and its two-hundred day moving average is $137.19. Grand Canyon Education, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $106.75 and a fifty-two week high of $157.53. The stock has a market cap of $4.52 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.24, a PEG ratio of 1.31 and a beta of 0.66.

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts recently issued reports on LOPE shares. Barrington Research increased their target price on shares of Grand Canyon Education from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 8th. BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on shares of Grand Canyon Education from $155.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 28th. Finally, Robert W. Baird increased their target price on shares of Grand Canyon Education from $165.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 8th.

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.