Blair William & Co. IL Acquires New Stake in Grand Canyon Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:LOPE)

Blair William & Co. IL bought a new position in Grand Canyon Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:LOPE) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund bought 2,223 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $364,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Counterpoint Mutual Funds LLC bought a new position in Grand Canyon Education in the 4th quarter worth about $421,000. Sanctuary Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Grand Canyon Education by 9.2% in the third quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 2,483 shares of the company’s stock worth $352,000 after buying an additional 209 shares in the last quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Grand Canyon Education during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $255,000. Postrock Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Grand Canyon Education during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,715,000. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. increased its position in shares of Grand Canyon Education by 10.7% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 37,523 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,014,000 after acquiring an additional 3,630 shares in the last quarter. 94.17% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

Grand Canyon Education Stock Performance

LOPE stock opened at $167.21 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $4.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.60, a P/E/G ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.82. The business’s 50-day moving average is $176.11 and its two-hundred day moving average is $162.22. Grand Canyon Education, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $126.17 and a fifty-two week high of $192.18.

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