American Century Companies Inc. Increases Holdings in Grand Canyon Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:LOPE)

American Century Companies Inc. lifted its position in Grand Canyon Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:LOPE - Free Report) by 9.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 19,948 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 1,753 shares during the quarter. American Century Companies Inc. owned 0.07% of Grand Canyon Education worth $3,267,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of Grand Canyon Education in the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Financial Life Planners purchased a new position in Grand Canyon Education during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd bought a new position in Grand Canyon Education in the fourth quarter worth approximately $59,000. Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its holdings in Grand Canyon Education by 66.0% during the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 420 shares of the company's stock worth $69,000 after buying an additional 167 shares during the period. Finally, Geneos Wealth Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Grand Canyon Education by 22.5% during the fourth quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 539 shares of the company's stock worth $88,000 after buying an additional 99 shares during the period. 94.17% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Grand Canyon Education Trading Up 1.2 %

Shares of LOPE traded up $2.09 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $172.40. 202,672 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 178,466. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.27, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.82. Grand Canyon Education, Inc. has a 1 year low of $126.17 and a 1 year high of $192.18. The firm's fifty day moving average is $175.34 and its 200-day moving average is $163.49.

Grand Canyon Education (NASDAQ:LOPE - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results 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. Grand Canyon Education had a return on equity of 30.67% and a net margin of 21.90%. The business had revenue of $292.57 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $289.62 million. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Grand Canyon Education, Inc. will post 8.81 EPS for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently commented on LOPE. Barrington Research boosted their price target 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. BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on Grand Canyon Education from $181.00 to $202.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of Grand Canyon Education from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th.

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.