Capital Research Global Investors Decreases Stock Holdings in Grand Canyon Education, Inc. $LOPE

Capital Research Global Investors trimmed its holdings in Grand Canyon Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:LOPE) by 2.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 426,644 shares of the company’s stock after selling 9,377 shares during the quarter. Capital Research Global Investors’ holdings in Grand Canyon Education were worth $70,955,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of LOPE. NewEdge Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Grand Canyon Education by 4,339.5% during the 1st quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 1,909 shares of the company’s stock valued at $330,000 after buying an additional 1,866 shares during the period. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Grand Canyon Education by 14.9% during the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 115,508 shares of the company’s stock valued at $19,985,000 after buying an additional 15,019 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC raised its position in shares of Grand Canyon Education by 2.1% during the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 7,925 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,371,000 after buying an additional 161 shares during the period. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC raised its position in shares of Grand Canyon Education by 7.3% during the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 123,214 shares of the company’s stock valued at $21,318,000 after buying an additional 8,421 shares during the period. Finally, Jane Street Group LLC raised its position in shares of Grand Canyon Education by 156.9% during the 1st quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 37,350 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,462,000 after buying an additional 22,812 shares during the period. 94.17% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Grand Canyon Education Stock Performance

Grand Canyon Education stock opened at $148.59 on Tuesday. Grand Canyon Education, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $145.00 and a fifty-two week high of $223.04. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $163.39 and a 200 day moving average price of $164.67. The company has a market capitalization of $3.94 billion, a PE ratio of 18.57, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.00 and a beta of 0.56.

Grand Canyon Education (NASDAQ:LOPE) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $2.86 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.78 by $0.08. Grand Canyon Education had a net margin of 19.54% and a return on equity of 34.72%. The firm had revenue of $308.76 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $307.75 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.57 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Grand Canyon Education, Inc. will post 10.22 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently commented on LOPE. BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Grand Canyon Education in a research report on Thursday. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Grand Canyon Education in a research report on Friday, April 10th. Finally, Barrington Research reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $230.00 price target on shares of Grand Canyon Education in a research report on Thursday, April 16th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $220.00.

Grand Canyon Education Profile

Grand Canyon Education, Inc provides a suite of higher‐education services through a long-term agreement with Grand Canyon University (GCU), one of the nation’s largest private Christian universities. The company’s offerings encompass a full range of academic and operational support functions, including enrollment management, student recruitment, curriculum development, instructional delivery, and technology infrastructure. Through its online program management capabilities, Grand Canyon Education helps design, market and deliver undergraduate, graduate and certificate programs to meet the needs of both traditional and non‐traditional learners.

Core services include digital marketing, admissions support, student success coaching, learning management systems and faculty recruitment.