Grand Canyon Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:LOPE) Shares Sold by Candriam S.C.A.

Candriam S.C.A. lessened its position in shares of Grand Canyon Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:LOPE - Free Report) by 65.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 8,443 shares of the company's stock after selling 16,213 shares during the period. Candriam S.C.A.'s holdings in Grand Canyon Education were worth $1,383,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in LOPE. FMR LLC boosted its position in shares of Grand Canyon Education by 12.0% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 1,323,406 shares of the company's stock worth $187,725,000 after buying an additional 141,648 shares during the period. Wasatch Advisors LP boosted its position in shares of Grand Canyon Education by 15.4% in the third quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP now owns 513,767 shares of the company's stock worth $72,878,000 after buying an additional 68,579 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Grand Canyon Education in the fourth quarter worth about $10,262,000. Weiss Asset Management LP purchased a new stake in shares of Grand Canyon Education in the third quarter worth about $4,942,000. Finally, Erste Asset Management GmbH purchased a new stake in shares of Grand Canyon Education in the third quarter worth about $4,833,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.17% of the company's stock.

Grand Canyon Education Trading Down 2.2 %

NASDAQ LOPE traded down $3.71 on Thursday, hitting $164.86. 149,140 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 165,886. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $174.18 and a 200 day moving average of $158.77. Grand Canyon Education, Inc. has a twelve month low of $126.17 and a twelve month high of $192.18. The company has a market capitalization of $4.74 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.30, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.78.

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Grand Canyon Education (NASDAQ:LOPE - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 19th. The company reported $2.95 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 return on equity of 30.67% and a net margin of 21.90%. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Grand Canyon Education, Inc. will post 8.81 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently commented on LOPE shares. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on 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 company 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 report on Tuesday, February 25th.

Insider Transactions at Grand Canyon Education

In other news, CTO Dilek Marsh sold 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $166.07, for a total transaction of $249,105.00. Following the sale, the chief technology officer now directly owns 21,174 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,516,366.18. This represents a 6.62 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 2.00% of the company's stock.

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.