Grand Canyon Education (NASDAQ:LOPE) Given Outperform Rating at Barrington Research

Barrington Research reissued their outperform rating on shares of Grand Canyon Education (NASDAQ:LOPE) in a research report report published on Monday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a $180.00 price target on the stock.

A number of other brokerages also recently issued reports on LOPE. Robert W. Baird boosted their price target on Grand Canyon Education from $170.00 to $186.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, November 7th. StockNews.com downgraded Grand Canyon Education from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, November 15th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on shares of Grand Canyon Education from $152.00 to $173.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, November 7th.

Grand Canyon Education Price Performance

Shares of Grand Canyon Education stock opened at $172.75 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.70, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.30 and a beta of 0.75. Grand Canyon Education has a one year low of $118.48 and a one year high of $176.77. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $165.91 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $151.97.

Grand Canyon Education (NASDAQ:LOPE) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, November 6th. The company reported $1.48 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.47 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $238.30 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $239.69 million. Grand Canyon Education had a net margin of 22.09% and a return on equity of 31.01%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.26 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts expect that Grand Canyon Education will post 8.03 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Grand Canyon Education

In related news, CTO Dilek Marsh sold 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $166.07, for a total value of $249,105.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief technology officer now directly owns 21,174 shares in the company, valued at $3,516,366.18. This trade represents a 6.62 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 2.00% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Grand Canyon Education

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of Grand Canyon Education during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Reston Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Grand Canyon Education during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $28,000. True Wealth Design LLC purchased a new position in Grand Canyon Education during the third quarter valued at $31,000. Financial Life Planners bought a new stake in Grand Canyon Education in the fourth quarter worth $37,000. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc grew its stake in shares of Grand Canyon Education by 66.0% in the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 420 shares of the company’s stock worth $69,000 after acquiring an additional 167 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.17% of the company’s stock.

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.