Grand Canyon Education (NASDAQ:LOPE) Hits New 12-Month High at $156.78

Grand Canyon Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:LOPE)’s stock price hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $156.78 and last traded at $156.24, with a volume of 30518 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $155.30.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have issued reports on LOPE. Barrington Research increased their price objective on shares of Grand Canyon Education from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 8th. Robert W. Baird increased their price objective on shares of Grand Canyon Education from $165.00 to $170.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 8th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on shares of Grand Canyon Education from $155.00 to $160.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 28th.

Grand Canyon Education Price Performance

The firm has a market cap of $4.64 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.81, a P/E/G ratio of 1.31 and a beta of 0.66. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $143.23 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $136.76.

Grand Canyon Education (NASDAQ:LOPE) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 7th. The company reported $2.35 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.22 by $0.13. Grand Canyon Education had a return on equity of 31.81% and a net margin of 21.66%. The firm had revenue of $274.68 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $272.42 million. During the same period last year, the business posted $2.00 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.8% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts predict that Grand Canyon Education, Inc. will post 7.8 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Grand Canyon Education news, Director Lisa Graham Keegan sold 270 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, May 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $147.96, for a total value of $39,949.20. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 2,635 shares in the company, valued at $389,874.60. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In related news, Director Lisa Graham Keegan sold 270 shares of Grand Canyon Education stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $147.96, for a total transaction of $39,949.20. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 2,635 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $389,874.60. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Kathy J. Claypatch sold 1,500 shares of Grand Canyon Education stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $149.20, for a total value of $223,800.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 8,320 shares in the company, valued at $1,241,344. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 2.00% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. nVerses Capital LLC acquired a new position in Grand Canyon Education during the second quarter worth about $210,000. Van ECK Associates Corp increased its stake in Grand Canyon Education by 18.0% in the 2nd quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 16,080 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,250,000 after purchasing an additional 2,453 shares in the last quarter. Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH increased its stake in Grand Canyon Education by 33.6% in the 2nd quarter. Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH now owns 140,546 shares of the company’s stock worth $19,664,000 after purchasing an additional 35,340 shares in the last quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. increased its stake in Grand Canyon Education by 6.9% in the 2nd quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. now owns 30,025 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,201,000 after purchasing an additional 1,944 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank increased its stake in Grand Canyon Education by 17.7% in the 2nd quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 8,065 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,128,000 after purchasing an additional 1,210 shares in the last quarter. 94.17% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.