Grand Canyon Education (NASDAQ:LOPE) Raised to “Buy” at StockNews.com

Grand Canyon Education (NASDAQ:LOPE) was upgraded by research analysts at StockNews.com from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note issued on Tuesday.

LOPE has been the subject of a number of other research reports. BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on Grand Canyon Education from $181.00 to $202.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday. Barrington Research boosted their target price on Grand Canyon Education from $180.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, February 20th. Finally, Robert W. Baird boosted their target price on Grand Canyon Education from $170.00 to $186.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, November 7th.

Grand Canyon Education Trading Down 0.1 %

LOPE traded down $0.26 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $177.33. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 225,846 shares, compared to its average volume of 157,096. The firm has a market cap of $5.09 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.91, a PEG ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.74. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $171.45 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $156.27. Grand Canyon Education has a 52-week low of $126.17 and a 52-week high of $192.18.

Grand Canyon Education (NASDAQ:LOPE) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 19th. The company reported $2.95 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.93 by $0.02. Grand Canyon Education had a return on equity of 30.67% and a net margin of 21.90%. The business had revenue of $292.57 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $289.62 million. On average, equities analysts expect that Grand Canyon Education will post 8.81 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related 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 transaction of $249,105.00. Following the transaction, the chief technology officer now directly owns 21,174 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,516,366.18. The trade was a 6.62 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 2.00% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Grand Canyon Education

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in LOPE. GeoWealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Grand Canyon Education in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of Grand Canyon Education in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Reston Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Grand Canyon Education in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $28,000. True Wealth Design LLC acquired a new position in shares of Grand Canyon Education in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Finally, Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Grand Canyon Education in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $32,000. 94.17% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.