Grand Canyon Education’s (LOPE) “Outperform” Rating Reiterated at Barrington Research

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

Several other research analysts also recently weighed in on LOPE. StockNews.com downgraded Grand Canyon Education from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Robert W. Baird lifted their price objective on shares of Grand Canyon Education from $170.00 to $186.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 7th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price 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 Stock Up 1.1 %

Shares of NASDAQ LOPE opened at $172.75 on Monday. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $165.91 and its 200-day moving average price is $151.97. The company has a market capitalization of $5.04 billion, a PE ratio of 22.70, a PEG ratio of 1.30 and a beta of 0.75. Grand Canyon Education has a twelve month low of $118.48 and a twelve month high of $176.77.

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

Insider Activity

In related news, CTO Dilek Marsh sold 1,500 shares of Grand Canyon Education stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $166.07, for a total transaction of $249,105.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief technology officer now owns 21,174 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,516,366.18. This trade represents a 6.62 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 2.00% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Grand Canyon Education

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of LOPE. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. bought a new position in shares of Grand Canyon Education in the fourth quarter worth approximately $27,000. Reston Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Grand Canyon Education in the 3rd quarter worth $28,000. True Wealth Design LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Grand Canyon Education during the 3rd quarter valued at $31,000. Financial Life Planners bought a new stake in shares of Grand Canyon Education during the 4th quarter worth $37,000. Finally, Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new position in Grand Canyon Education in the third quarter worth $60,000. 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.