Grand Canyon Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:LOPE) Shares Sold by Retirement Systems of Alabama

Retirement Systems of Alabama decreased its position in Grand Canyon Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:LOPE) by 2.5% in the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 35,286 shares of the company’s stock after selling 899 shares during the period. Retirement Systems of Alabama’s holdings in Grand Canyon Education were worth $5,005,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Reston Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Grand Canyon Education in the third quarter worth $28,000. True Wealth Design LLC acquired a new position in shares of Grand Canyon Education in the 3rd quarter valued at about $31,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new stake in shares of Grand Canyon Education during the 3rd quarter valued at about $60,000. Blue Trust Inc. raised its stake in Grand Canyon Education by 710.7% during the second quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 608 shares of the company’s stock worth $83,000 after acquiring an additional 533 shares during the period. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new position in Grand Canyon Education in the third quarter worth about $86,000. 94.17% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently commented on LOPE shares. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on Grand Canyon Education from $152.00 to $173.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, November 7th. Barrington Research upped their price objective on Grand Canyon Education from $165.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 7th. StockNews.com cut Grand Canyon Education from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Finally, Robert W. Baird upped their price target on shares of Grand Canyon Education from $170.00 to $186.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 7th.

Grand Canyon Education Trading Down 3.4 %

LOPE opened at $160.54 on Thursday. Grand Canyon Education, Inc. has a twelve month low of $118.48 and a twelve month high of $173.37. The stock has a market cap of $4.68 billion, a PE ratio of 21.10, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 0.76. The business’s 50 day moving average is $154.06 and its 200-day moving average is $146.66.

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