Aristides Capital LLC Takes Position in Grand Canyon Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:LOPE)

Aristides Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of Grand Canyon Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:LOPE) during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor purchased 1,471 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $206,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in LOPE. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Grand Canyon Education by 0.8% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 3,005,381 shares of the company’s stock worth $409,363,000 after purchasing an additional 24,871 shares in the last quarter. Burgundy Asset Management Ltd. increased its stake in shares of Grand Canyon Education by 1.3% in the 2nd quarter. Burgundy Asset Management Ltd. now owns 850,343 shares of the company’s stock valued at $118,971,000 after purchasing an additional 11,179 shares during the last quarter. Van Berkom & Associates Inc. raised its stake in Grand Canyon Education by 1.5% during the second quarter. Van Berkom & Associates Inc. now owns 756,971 shares of the company’s stock worth $105,908,000 after acquiring an additional 11,540 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its holdings in shares of Grand Canyon Education by 1.8% during the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 716,229 shares of the company’s stock worth $100,197,000 after buying an additional 12,509 shares in the last quarter. Finally, AQR Capital Management LLC raised its position in Grand Canyon Education by 47.7% in the second quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 538,532 shares of the company’s stock valued at $74,452,000 after purchasing an additional 173,800 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 94.17% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. StockNews.com raised Grand Canyon Education from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on shares of Grand Canyon Education from $160.00 to $162.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 7th. Finally, Barrington Research reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $165.00 price target on shares of Grand Canyon Education in a report on Friday, September 20th.

Grand Canyon Education Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:LOPE opened at $142.60 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $4.24 billion, a PE ratio of 19.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.21 and a beta of 0.69. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $144.02 and its 200-day moving average is $140.67. Grand Canyon Education, Inc. has a 52 week low of $112.38 and a 52 week high of $157.53.

Grand Canyon Education (NASDAQ:LOPE) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 6th. The company reported $1.27 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.10 by $0.17. The company had revenue of $227.50 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $223.56 million. Grand Canyon Education had a net margin of 21.88% and a return on equity of 31.49%. Grand Canyon Education’s revenue was up 8.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.01 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts forecast that Grand Canyon Education, Inc. will post 7.98 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at Grand Canyon Education

In related news, CTO Dilek Marsh sold 1,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $141.23, for a total value of $211,845.00. Following the transaction, the chief technology officer now owns 22,674 shares in the company, valued at $3,202,249.02. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. 2.00% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.