StockNews.com Downgrades Grand Canyon Education (NASDAQ:LOPE) to Hold

Grand Canyon Education (NASDAQ:LOPE) was downgraded by investment analysts at StockNews.com from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report issued on Wednesday.

A number of other equities research analysts have also issued reports on the stock. BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on shares of Grand Canyon Education from $160.00 to $162.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 7th. Barrington Research reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $165.00 price objective on shares of Grand Canyon Education in a research note on Friday, September 20th.

Grand Canyon Education Trading Down 1.4 %

LOPE stock opened at $131.89 on Wednesday. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $142.09 and its 200 day moving average price is $140.78. Grand Canyon Education has a 12-month low of $112.38 and a 12-month high of $157.53. The company has a market capitalization of $3.89 billion, a PE ratio of 17.87, a P/E/G ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 0.69.

Grand Canyon Education (NASDAQ:LOPE) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, August 6th. The company reported $1.27 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.10 by $0.17. The company had revenue of $227.50 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $223.56 million. Grand Canyon Education had a return on equity of 31.49% and a net margin of 21.88%. Grand Canyon Education’s revenue was up 8.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.01 EPS. Research analysts predict that Grand Canyon Education will post 7.98 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Grand Canyon Education news, CTO Dilek Marsh sold 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $141.23, for a total value of $211,845.00. Following the sale, the chief technology officer now directly owns 22,674 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,202,249.02. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. 2.00% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in LOPE. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its position in shares of Grand Canyon Education by 14,150.0% during the 2nd quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 285 shares of the company’s stock worth $40,000 after acquiring an additional 283 shares in the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. raised its holdings 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 purchasing an additional 533 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its position in shares of Grand Canyon Education by 46.1% during the 2nd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 640 shares of the company’s stock worth $90,000 after buying an additional 202 shares during the last quarter. Quarry LP acquired a new position in shares of Grand Canyon Education in the 2nd quarter valued at $109,000. Finally, Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of Grand Canyon Education in the 2nd quarter valued at $131,000. 94.17% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.