Grand Canyon Education (NASDAQ:LOPE) Hits New 52-Week High – Should You Buy?

Grand Canyon Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:LOPE) shares hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $159.26 and last traded at $159.12, with a volume of 310518 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $139.75.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have issued reports on LOPE. StockNews.com cut Grand Canyon Education from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 9th. Barrington Research reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $165.00 target price on shares of Grand Canyon Education in a report on Friday, September 20th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on Grand Canyon Education from $160.00 to $162.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 7th.

Grand Canyon Education Trading Up 14.6 %

The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $139.01 and a 200 day simple moving average of $141.20. The stock has a market cap of $4.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.70, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 0.70.

Grand Canyon Education (NASDAQ:LOPE) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 6th. The company reported $1.27 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.10 by $0.17. Grand Canyon Education had a return on equity of 31.49% and a net margin of 21.88%. The firm had revenue of $227.50 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $223.56 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.01 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 8.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts expect that Grand Canyon Education, Inc. will post 7.98 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Grand Canyon Education

In other Grand Canyon Education news, CTO Dilek Marsh sold 1,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, September 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $141.23, for a total value of $211,845.00. Following the sale, the chief technology officer now owns 22,674 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,202,249.02. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 2.00% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Grand Canyon Education

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in LOPE. BNP Paribas Financial Markets boosted its position in shares of Grand Canyon Education by 16.7% during the 1st quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 20,341 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,771,000 after purchasing an additional 2,906 shares in the last quarter. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division bought a new stake in shares of Grand Canyon Education during the 1st quarter valued at about $136,000. Texas Permanent School Fund Corp boosted its position in shares of Grand Canyon Education by 1.3% during the 1st quarter. Texas Permanent School Fund Corp now owns 25,868 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,523,000 after purchasing an additional 335 shares in the last quarter. Gallacher Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Grand Canyon Education by 38.9% during the 1st quarter. Gallacher Capital Management LLC now owns 3,425 shares of the company’s stock valued at $467,000 after purchasing an additional 960 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Empowered Funds LLC boosted its position in shares of Grand Canyon Education by 190.7% during the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 26,081 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,552,000 after purchasing an additional 17,108 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 94.17% 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.