Empowered Funds LLC Sells 2,277 Shares of Grand Canyon Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:LOPE)

Empowered Funds LLC reduced its stake in Grand Canyon Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:LOPE) by 22.7% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 7,764 shares of the company’s stock after selling 2,277 shares during the quarter. Empowered Funds LLC’s holdings in Grand Canyon Education were worth $1,272,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Creative Planning lifted its position in shares of Grand Canyon Education by 2.4% during the 3rd quarter. Creative Planning now owns 4,723 shares of the company’s stock valued at $670,000 after buying an additional 109 shares in the last quarter. NBC Securities Inc. raised its stake in Grand Canyon Education by 12.6% during the 3rd quarter. NBC Securities Inc. now owns 856 shares of the company’s stock worth $121,000 after acquiring an additional 96 shares during the period. Net Worth Advisory Group purchased a new position in Grand Canyon Education during the third quarter valued at approximately $250,000. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its position in shares of Grand Canyon Education by 138.7% in the third quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,451 shares of the company’s stock worth $203,000 after purchasing an additional 843 shares during the period. Finally, Raymond James & Associates increased its stake in shares of Grand Canyon Education by 9.8% in the third quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 66,160 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,385,000 after purchasing an additional 5,902 shares in the last quarter. 94.17% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms recently weighed in on LOPE. BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on shares of Grand Canyon Education from $152.00 to $173.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 7th. Barrington Research restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $180.00 price objective on shares of Grand Canyon Education in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Robert W. Baird increased their target price on Grand Canyon Education from $170.00 to $186.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 7th. Finally, StockNews.com cut Grand Canyon Education from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, November 15th.

Insider Activity

In other news, CTO Dilek Marsh sold 1,500 shares of Grand Canyon Education stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $166.07, for a total value of $249,105.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief technology officer now owns 21,174 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,516,366.18. The trade was a 6.62 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 2.00% of the company’s stock.

Grand Canyon Education Stock Up 0.4 %

Grand Canyon Education stock opened at $183.70 on Monday. Grand Canyon Education, Inc. has a 52-week low of $126.17 and a 52-week high of $185.52. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $169.40 and its 200 day moving average is $154.53. The company has a market cap of $5.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.14, a PEG ratio of 1.37 and a beta of 0.74.

About Grand Canyon Education

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.