Grand Canyon Education (NASDAQ:LOPE) Downgraded to Hold Rating by StockNews.com

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

Several other research analysts have also recently commented on LOPE. BMO Capital Markets raised their target price 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. 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. Finally, Barrington Research increased their price objective on shares of Grand Canyon Education from $165.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, November 7th.

Grand Canyon Education Trading Down 2.1 %

Shares of Grand Canyon Education stock opened at $164.88 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.67, a PEG ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 0.70. Grand Canyon Education has a 1-year low of $118.48 and a 1-year high of $173.37. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $141.49 and a 200-day simple moving average of $142.58.

Grand Canyon Education (NASDAQ:LOPE) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 6th. The company reported $1.48 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.47 by $0.01. Grand Canyon Education had a return on equity of 31.01% and a net margin of 22.09%. The company had revenue of $238.30 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts predict that Grand Canyon Education will post 8.03 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CTO Dilek Marsh sold 1,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, September 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $141.23, for a total transaction of $211,845.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief technology officer now directly owns 22,674 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,202,249.02. The trade was a 6.21 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 2.00% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Grand Canyon Education

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in LOPE. Reston Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Grand Canyon Education in the third quarter valued at approximately $28,000. True Wealth Design LLC acquired a new position in shares of Grand Canyon Education during the 3rd quarter worth about $31,000. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its holdings in shares of Grand Canyon Education by 14,150.0% in the 2nd quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 285 shares of the company’s stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 283 shares during the period. Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new stake in Grand Canyon Education in the 3rd quarter valued at about $60,000. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. grew 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 during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.