Grand Canyon Education (NASDAQ:LOPE) Price Target Raised to $180.00

Grand Canyon Education (NASDAQ:LOPE - Get Free Report) had its price objective increased by analysts at Barrington Research from $165.00 to $180.00 in a research note issued on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an "outperform" rating on the stock. Barrington Research's price target would indicate a potential upside of 10.06% from the stock's current price.

LOPE has been the topic of a number of other reports. StockNews.com cut Grand Canyon Education from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on Grand Canyon Education from $160.00 to $162.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 7th.

Grand Canyon Education Stock Performance

NASDAQ:LOPE traded up $3.39 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $163.54. The stock had a trading volume of 478,934 shares, compared to its average volume of 179,502. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $139.01 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $141.20. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.82 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.54, a P/E/G ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 0.70. Grand Canyon Education has a one year low of $118.48 and a one year high of $164.93.

Grand Canyon Education (NASDAQ:LOPE - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, November 6th. The company reported $1.48 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.46 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $238.30 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $239.69 million. Grand Canyon Education had a return on equity of 31.49% and a net margin of 21.88%. Grand Canyon Education's quarterly revenue was up 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.26 EPS. Research analysts forecast that Grand Canyon Education will post 7.98 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other news, CTO Dilek Marsh sold 1,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $141.23, for a total transaction of $211,845.00. Following the transaction, the chief technology officer now directly owns 22,674 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,202,249.02. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 2.00% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Grand Canyon Education

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Reston Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Grand Canyon Education in the third quarter worth $28,000. Versant Capital Management Inc grew its stake in Grand Canyon Education by 14,150.0% in the second quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 285 shares of the company's stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 283 shares during the period. Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new stake in Grand Canyon Education in the third quarter worth $60,000. Blue Trust Inc. grew its stake in Grand Canyon Education by 710.7% in the second quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 608 shares of the company's stock worth $83,000 after purchasing an additional 533 shares during the period. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC grew its stake in Grand Canyon Education by 46.1% in the second quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 640 shares of the company's stock worth $90,000 after purchasing an additional 202 shares during the period. 94.17% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.