Grand Canyon Education (NASDAQ:LOPE) Hits New 12-Month High - What's Next?

Grand Canyon Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:LOPE - Get Free Report) hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Thursday . The company traded as high as $182.23 and last traded at $180.89, with a volume of 155782 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $179.16.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently commented on LOPE. Barrington Research restated an "outperform" rating and set a $180.00 price target on shares of Grand Canyon Education in a research report on Monday, January 27th. StockNews.com cut shares of Grand Canyon Education from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, November 15th. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on shares of Grand Canyon Education from $152.00 to $173.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, November 7th. Finally, Robert W. Baird raised their price target on shares of Grand Canyon Education from $170.00 to $186.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, November 7th.

Grand Canyon Education Stock Down 0.6 %

The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $167.98 and a 200 day moving average price of $153.50. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.26 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.71, a P/E/G ratio of 1.37 and a beta of 0.74.

Grand Canyon Education (NASDAQ:LOPE - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, November 6th. The company reported $1.48 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.47 by $0.01. Grand Canyon Education had a return on equity of 31.01% and a net margin of 22.09%. The firm had revenue of $238.30 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $239.69 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.26 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Grand Canyon Education, Inc. will post 8.03 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CTO Dilek Marsh sold 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $166.07, for a total transaction of $249,105.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief technology officer now owns 21,174 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,516,366.18. This represents a 6.62 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 2.00% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Grand Canyon Education

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of Grand Canyon Education in the 4th quarter worth $27,000. Reston Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Grand Canyon Education in the third quarter valued at about $28,000. True Wealth Design LLC purchased a new stake in Grand Canyon Education in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Financial Life Planners acquired a new position in Grand Canyon Education during the 4th quarter worth approximately $37,000. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc raised its stake in shares of Grand Canyon Education by 66.0% during the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 420 shares of the company's stock worth $69,000 after buying an additional 167 shares in the last quarter. 94.17% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.