Grand Canyon Education (NASDAQ:LOPE) Price Target Raised to $173.00 at BMO Capital Markets

Grand Canyon Education (NASDAQ:LOPE - Free Report) had its price target lifted by BMO Capital Markets from $152.00 to $173.00 in a research note released on Thursday,Benzinga reports. They currently have an outperform rating on the stock.

Several other equities research analysts also recently weighed in on the stock. Barrington Research increased their target price on shares of Grand Canyon Education from $165.00 to $180.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday. StockNews.com lowered shares of Grand Canyon Education from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 9th.

Grand Canyon Education Stock Up 2.1 %

LOPE traded up $3.39 on Thursday, hitting $163.54. The company had a trading volume of 478,934 shares, compared to its average volume of 179,502. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $139.41 and its 200 day simple moving average is $141.36. Grand Canyon Education has a 12-month low of $118.48 and a 12-month high of $164.93. The company has a market cap of $4.82 billion, a PE ratio of 22.16, a PEG ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 0.70.

Grand Canyon Education (NASDAQ:LOPE - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, November 6th. The company reported $1.48 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.46 by $0.02. Grand Canyon Education had a return on equity of 31.49% and a net margin of 21.88%. 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 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was up 7.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts anticipate that Grand Canyon Education will post 7.98 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Grand Canyon Education

In related news, CTO Dilek Marsh sold 1,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, September 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $141.23, for a total value of $211,845.00. Following the transaction, the chief technology officer now owns 22,674 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,202,249.02. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 2.00% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its holdings in shares of Grand Canyon Education by 16.7% in the 1st quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 20,341 shares of the company's stock worth $2,771,000 after buying an additional 2,906 shares during the period. Texas Permanent School Fund Corp boosted its position in Grand Canyon Education by 1.3% during the 1st quarter. Texas Permanent School Fund Corp now owns 25,868 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,523,000 after acquiring an additional 335 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC boosted its position in Grand Canyon Education by 190.7% during the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 26,081 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,552,000 after purchasing an additional 17,108 shares in the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC grew its position in shares of Grand Canyon Education by 29.9% in the 1st quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 3,192 shares of the company's stock worth $435,000 after buying an additional 734 shares during the last quarter. Finally, State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System grew its holdings in Grand Canyon Education by 14.9% in the first quarter. State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System now owns 46,133 shares of the company's stock worth $6,284,000 after purchasing an additional 5,991 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 94.17% of the company's stock.

About Grand Canyon Education

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.