Grand Canyon Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:LOPE) Sees Significant Decrease in Short Interest

Grand Canyon Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:LOPE) was the recipient of a large decrease in short interest in the month of December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totalling 266,000 shares, a decrease of 15.0% from the December 15th total of 312,800 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 175,300 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 1.5 days. Currently, 0.9% of the shares of the company are short sold.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

LOPE has been the subject of several research reports. Robert W. Baird upped their price target on shares of Grand Canyon Education from $170.00 to $186.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 7th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Grand Canyon Education from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Barrington Research boosted their price target on Grand Canyon Education from $165.00 to $180.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 7th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on Grand Canyon Education from $152.00 to $173.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 7th.

Grand Canyon Education Price Performance

Shares of LOPE stock traded up $2.11 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $171.00. The stock had a trading volume of 107,437 shares, compared to its average volume of 124,514. The firm has a market cap of $4.98 billion, a PE ratio of 22.47, a PEG ratio of 1.22 and a beta of 0.75. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $164.99 and its 200-day simple moving average is $150.08. Grand Canyon Education has a fifty-two week low of $118.48 and a fifty-two week high of $173.37.

Grand Canyon Education (NASDAQ:LOPE) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 6th. The company reported $1.48 EPS 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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $239.69 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.26 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts expect that Grand Canyon Education will post 8.03 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at Grand Canyon Education

In other Grand Canyon Education news, CTO Dilek Marsh sold 1,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $166.07, for a total value of $249,105.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief technology officer now owns 21,174 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,516,366.18. The trade was a 6.62 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 2.00% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Grand Canyon Education

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of LOPE. Reston Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Grand Canyon Education in the third quarter valued at $28,000. True Wealth Design LLC purchased a new position in shares of Grand Canyon Education in the 3rd quarter valued at about $31,000. Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its stake in shares of Grand Canyon Education by 66.0% in the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 420 shares of the company’s stock valued at $69,000 after purchasing an additional 167 shares during the period. Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new stake in Grand Canyon Education during the third quarter worth about $60,000. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new position in Grand Canyon Education during the third quarter worth about $86,000. 94.17% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.