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

Blair William & Co. IL acquired a new stake in shares of Grand Canyon Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:LOPE - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 2,223 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $364,000.

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

Grand Canyon Education Stock Up 7.2 %

LOPE traded up $11.70 on Wednesday, reaching $174.07. 257,345 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 177,665. The company has a market cap of $5.00 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.49, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.82. Grand Canyon Education, Inc. has a one year low of $126.17 and a one year high of $192.18. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $175.61 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $163.11.

Grand Canyon Education (NASDAQ:LOPE - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 19th. The company reported $2.95 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.93 by $0.02. Grand Canyon Education had a net margin of 21.90% and a return on equity of 30.67%. The business had revenue of $292.57 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $289.62 million. On average, equities analysts forecast 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.