Park Avenue Securities LLC Grows Stock Position in Grand Canyon Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:LOPE)

Park Avenue Securities LLC boosted its stake in shares of Grand Canyon Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:LOPE) by 14.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 5,302 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 666 shares during the quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC’s holdings in Grand Canyon Education were worth $868,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Reston Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Grand Canyon Education during the third quarter worth about $28,000. True Wealth Design LLC acquired a new position in Grand Canyon Education during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $31,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new stake in shares of Grand Canyon Education in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $60,000. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its holdings in shares of Grand Canyon Education by 66.0% in the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 420 shares of the company’s stock valued at $69,000 after purchasing an additional 167 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new stake in shares of Grand Canyon Education during the 3rd quarter worth $86,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.17% of the company’s stock.

Grand Canyon Education Stock Performance

LOPE opened at $171.19 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.99 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.50, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.29 and a beta of 0.75. Grand Canyon Education, Inc. has a one year low of $118.48 and a one year high of $176.77. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $165.08 and its 200-day simple moving average is $150.72.

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Grand Canyon Education news, CTO Dilek Marsh sold 1,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $166.07, for a total transaction of $249,105.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief technology officer now directly owns 21,174 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,516,366.18. This represents a 6.62 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 2.00% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently commented on LOPE shares. StockNews.com lowered Grand Canyon Education from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, November 15th. BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on Grand Canyon Education from $152.00 to $173.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report 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 report on Thursday, November 7th. Finally, Robert W. Baird increased their price target on shares of Grand Canyon Education from $170.00 to $186.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 7th.

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.