New York State Common Retirement Fund Sells 1,500 Shares of Grand Canyon Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:LOPE)

New York State Common Retirement Fund cut its stake in Grand Canyon Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:LOPE) by 7.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 17,838 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,500 shares during the period. New York State Common Retirement Fund owned 0.06% of Grand Canyon Education worth $2,922,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. bought a new position in shares of Grand Canyon Education in the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Reston Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Grand Canyon Education in the third quarter worth about $28,000. True Wealth Design LLC bought a new position in shares of Grand Canyon Education in the third quarter worth about $31,000. Financial Life Planners bought a new position in shares of Grand Canyon Education in the fourth quarter worth about $37,000. Finally, Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new stake in shares of Grand Canyon Education during the third quarter worth approximately $60,000. 94.17% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Grand Canyon Education

In other news, CTO Dilek Marsh sold 1,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 18th. The shares were 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 $3,516,366.18. This represents a 6.62 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 2.00% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on LOPE shares. StockNews.com raised shares of Grand Canyon Education from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. Robert W. Baird boosted their price target on shares of Grand Canyon Education from $170.00 to $186.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 7th. Barrington Research boosted their price target on shares of Grand Canyon Education from $180.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 20th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on shares of Grand Canyon Education from $181.00 to $202.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st.

Grand Canyon Education Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ LOPE opened at $179.82 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $5.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.23, a P/E/G ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.74. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $172.52 and a 200 day moving average price of $156.95. Grand Canyon Education, Inc. has a 52-week low of $126.17 and a 52-week high of $192.18.

Grand Canyon Education (NASDAQ:LOPE) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 19th. The company reported $2.95 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.93 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $292.57 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $289.62 million. Grand Canyon Education had a net margin of 21.90% and a return on equity of 30.67%. Analysts predict that Grand Canyon Education, Inc. will post 8.81 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.