Avantax Advisory Services Inc. Sells 95 Shares of Grand Canyon Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:LOPE)

Avantax Advisory Services Inc. cut its stake in Grand Canyon Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:LOPE) by 3.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 2,853 shares of the company’s stock after selling 95 shares during the period. Avantax Advisory Services Inc.’s holdings in Grand Canyon Education were worth $467,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of LOPE. Sanctuary Advisors LLC lifted its position in Grand Canyon Education by 9.2% during the third quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 2,483 shares of the company’s stock worth $352,000 after purchasing an additional 209 shares during the period. QRG Capital Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Grand Canyon Education in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $255,000. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Grand Canyon Education by 10.7% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 37,523 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,014,000 after acquiring an additional 3,630 shares during the period. Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd. boosted its position in shares of Grand Canyon Education by 33.5% during the 4th quarter. Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd. now owns 44,786 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,336,000 after acquiring an additional 11,245 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Summit Trail Advisors LLC bought a new position in Grand Canyon Education in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $280,000. 94.17% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on LOPE shares. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on Grand Canyon Education from $181.00 to $202.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Barrington Research raised their price target on shares of Grand Canyon Education from $180.00 to $205.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 20th. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of Grand Canyon Education from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th.

Grand Canyon Education Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ LOPE opened at $168.82 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $4.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.81, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.78. Grand Canyon Education, Inc. has a 52-week low of $126.17 and a 52-week high of $192.18. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $175.06 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $160.12.

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

Grand Canyon Education 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.