Grand Canyon Education (NASDAQ:LOPE) Trading 4.4% Higher

Grand Canyon Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:LOPE) shot up 4.4% on Friday . The stock traded as high as $140.92 and last traded at $140.62. 73,529 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 63% from the average session volume of 196,339 shares. The stock had previously closed at $134.66.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

LOPE has been the subject of several recent research reports. Barrington Research upped their price target on shares of Grand Canyon Education from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 8th. Robert W. Baird boosted their target price on shares of Grand Canyon Education from $165.00 to $170.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 8th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on shares of Grand Canyon Education from $155.00 to $160.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 28th.

Grand Canyon Education Stock Up 3.9 %

The company has a market cap of $4.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.83, a PEG ratio of 1.16 and a beta of 0.64. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $139.36 and a 200-day moving average price of $134.74.

Grand Canyon Education (NASDAQ:LOPE) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, May 7th. The company reported $2.35 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.22 by $0.13. The firm had revenue of $274.68 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $272.42 million. Grand Canyon Education had a net margin of 21.66% and a return on equity of 31.81%. Grand Canyon Education’s revenue was up 9.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.00 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Grand Canyon Education, Inc. will post 7.8 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Grand Canyon Education

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Grand Canyon Education

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of LOPE. GAMMA Investing LLC acquired a new stake in Grand Canyon Education during the 4th quarter worth about $54,000. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its stake in Grand Canyon Education by 120.2% in the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 425 shares of the company’s stock worth $56,000 after purchasing an additional 232 shares during the period. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. grew its position in Grand Canyon Education by 208.6% during the 4th quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 429 shares of the company’s stock worth $57,000 after purchasing an additional 290 shares in the last quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. raised its stake in Grand Canyon Education by 41.2% during the 4th quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 497 shares of the company’s stock valued at $66,000 after purchasing an additional 145 shares during the period. Finally, Headlands Technologies LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Grand Canyon Education in the fourth quarter valued at $101,000. 94.17% of the stock is currently 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.