Vanguard Group Inc. Purchases 3,390 Shares of Grand Canyon Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:LOPE)

Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Grand Canyon Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:LOPE) by 0.1% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,980,510 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,390 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. owned about 9.93% of Grand Canyon Education worth $393,547,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina boosted its stake in shares of Grand Canyon Education by 0.4% in the 3rd quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 19,049 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,226,000 after purchasing an additional 85 shares in the last quarter. Wealth Alliance boosted its stake in shares of Grand Canyon Education by 3.9% in the 4th quarter. Wealth Alliance now owns 2,277 shares of the company’s stock valued at $301,000 after purchasing an additional 85 shares in the last quarter. Riverwater Partners LLC boosted its stake in shares of Grand Canyon Education by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. Riverwater Partners LLC now owns 12,597 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,663,000 after purchasing an additional 89 shares in the last quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC boosted its position in Grand Canyon Education by 4.8% during the 4th quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 2,078 shares of the company’s stock valued at $274,000 after buying an additional 96 shares during the period. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group Inc. boosted its position in Grand Canyon Education by 41.2% during the 4th quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 497 shares of the company’s stock valued at $66,000 after buying an additional 145 shares during the period. 94.17% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on LOPE shares. Barrington Research increased their price target on shares of Grand Canyon Education from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 8th. Robert W. Baird increased their price target on shares of Grand Canyon Education from $165.00 to $170.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 8th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets increased 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.

Grand Canyon Education Trading Down 0.7 %

Shares of NASDAQ LOPE opened at $134.66 on Friday. Grand Canyon Education, Inc. has a 12 month low of $100.23 and a 12 month high of $156.56. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.00 billion, a PE ratio of 18.83, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.16 and a beta of 0.64. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $139.36 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $134.74.

Grand Canyon Education (NASDAQ:LOPE) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 7th. The company reported $2.35 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.22 by $0.13. Grand Canyon Education had a net margin of 21.66% and a return on equity of 31.81%. The business had revenue of $274.68 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $272.42 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $2.00 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Grand Canyon Education, Inc. will post 7.8 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

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

Grand Canyon Education 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.