Virtu Financial LLC Purchases Shares of 2,166 Grand Canyon Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:LOPE)

Virtu Financial LLC bought a new stake in Grand Canyon Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:LOPE) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 2,166 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $286,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Alaska Permanent Fund Corp raised its position in shares of Grand Canyon Education by 8.3% during the fourth quarter. Alaska Permanent Fund Corp now owns 86,044 shares of the company’s stock worth $11,361,000 after purchasing an additional 6,598 shares during the period. Campbell & CO Investment Adviser LLC raised its holdings in Grand Canyon Education by 161.1% during the fourth quarter. Campbell & CO Investment Adviser LLC now owns 18,233 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,407,000 after buying an additional 11,251 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Grand Canyon Education by 3.7% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 321,924 shares of the company’s stock valued at $42,507,000 after buying an additional 11,567 shares in the last quarter. National Bank of Canada FI acquired a new position in shares of Grand Canyon Education during the fourth quarter valued at about $1,979,000. Finally, Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Grand Canyon Education during the fourth quarter worth about $44,529,000. Institutional investors own 94.17% of the company’s stock.

Grand Canyon Education Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:LOPE opened at $134.03 on Friday. Grand Canyon Education, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $99.65 and a fifty-two week high of $156.56. The company’s 50-day moving average is $138.85 and its 200 day moving average is $134.87. The company has a market capitalization of $3.99 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.75, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 0.64.

Grand Canyon Education (NASDAQ:LOPE) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, May 7th. The company reported $2.35 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.22 by $0.13. The firm had revenue of $274.68 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $272.42 million. Grand Canyon Education had a net margin of 21.66% and a return on equity of 31.81%. The company’s revenue was up 9.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.00 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that Grand Canyon Education, Inc. will post 7.8 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Lisa Graham Keegan sold 270 shares of Grand Canyon Education stock in a transaction on Monday, May 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $147.96, for a total value of $39,949.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 2,635 shares in the company, valued at $389,874.60. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In related news, Director Lisa Graham Keegan sold 270 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $147.96, for a total transaction of $39,949.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 2,635 shares in the company, valued at $389,874.60. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, insider Kathy J. Claypatch sold 1,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $149.20, for a total value of $223,800.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 8,320 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,241,344. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 2.00% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages recently weighed in on LOPE. BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on shares of Grand Canyon Education from $155.00 to $160.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 28th. Barrington Research raised their target price on Grand Canyon Education from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 8th. Finally, Robert W. Baird upped their price target on Grand Canyon Education from $165.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 8th.

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.