Versant Capital Management Inc Acquires 167 Shares of Grand Canyon Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:LOPE)

Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its holdings in Grand Canyon Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:LOPE) by 66.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 420 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 167 shares during the period. Versant Capital Management Inc’s holdings in Grand Canyon Education were worth $69,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in LOPE. Arizona State Retirement System lifted its stake in shares of Grand Canyon Education by 1.9% in the 2nd quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 8,404 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,176,000 after acquiring an additional 156 shares during the last quarter. Candriam S.C.A. lifted its position in Grand Canyon Education by 7.6% in the second quarter. Candriam S.C.A. now owns 12,817 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,793,000 after purchasing an additional 900 shares during the last quarter. Savant Capital LLC boosted its stake in shares of Grand Canyon Education by 8.7% during the second quarter. Savant Capital LLC now owns 9,503 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,330,000 after purchasing an additional 763 shares during the period. Gallacher Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Grand Canyon Education by 12.7% in the second quarter. Gallacher Capital Management LLC now owns 3,859 shares of the company’s stock worth $540,000 after purchasing an additional 434 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Oak Thistle LLC purchased a new position in shares of Grand Canyon Education in the second quarter worth $357,000. 94.17% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, CTO Dilek Marsh sold 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 directly owns 21,174 shares in the company, valued at $3,516,366.18. This trade represents a 6.62 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 2.00% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

LOPE has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on shares of Grand Canyon Education from $152.00 to $173.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, November 7th. Robert W. Baird raised their target price on 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 upped their price target on Grand Canyon Education from $165.00 to $180.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 7th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered Grand Canyon Education from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, November 15th.

Grand Canyon Education Trading Up 0.6 %

Shares of LOPE opened at $162.81 on Monday. Grand Canyon Education, Inc. has a 1-year low of $118.48 and a 1-year high of $173.37. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $161.19 and its 200-day moving average price is $148.54. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.39, a PEG ratio of 1.38 and a beta of 0.75.

Grand Canyon Education (NASDAQ:LOPE) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, November 6th. The company reported $1.48 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.47 by $0.01. Grand Canyon Education had a return on equity of 31.01% and a net margin of 22.09%. The firm had revenue of $238.30 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $239.69 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.26 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts forecast that Grand Canyon Education, Inc. will post 8.03 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.