Grand Canyon Education (NASDAQ:LOPE) Reaches New 12-Month High at $156.78

Grand Canyon Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:LOPE)’s stock price hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $156.78 and last traded at $156.24, with a volume of 30518 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $155.30.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages recently issued reports on LOPE. Barrington Research upped 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 report on Wednesday, May 8th. Robert W. Baird upped 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 report on Wednesday, May 8th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upped 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 report on Tuesday, May 28th.

Grand Canyon Education Price Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $4.64 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.81, a P/E/G ratio of 1.31 and a beta of 0.66. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $143.23 and its 200 day moving average price is $136.76.

Grand Canyon Education (NASDAQ:LOPE) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 7th. The company reported $2.35 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $272.42 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.00 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 9.8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Grand Canyon Education, Inc. will post 7.8 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at Grand Canyon Education

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in LOPE. Wealth Alliance grew its stake in Grand Canyon Education by 3.9% during the fourth quarter. Wealth Alliance now owns 2,277 shares of the company’s stock valued at $301,000 after acquiring an additional 85 shares in the last quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Grand Canyon Education by 4.8% in the 4th quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 2,078 shares of the company’s stock valued at $274,000 after purchasing an additional 96 shares in the last quarter. Capital Insight Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of Grand Canyon Education by 2.5% in the 2nd quarter. Capital Insight Partners LLC now owns 4,229 shares of the company’s stock valued at $592,000 after purchasing an additional 105 shares in the last quarter. Riverwater Partners LLC grew its position in shares of Grand Canyon Education by 0.9% in the 1st quarter. Riverwater Partners LLC now owns 12,716 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,732,000 after buying an additional 119 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Grand Canyon Education by 41.2% in the 4th quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 497 shares of the company’s stock worth $66,000 after buying an additional 145 shares during the last quarter. 94.17% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.