Loomis Sayles & Co. L P Has $45.54 Million Stock Holdings in Grand Canyon Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:LOPE)

Loomis Sayles & Co. L P reduced its stake in shares of Grand Canyon Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:LOPE - Free Report) by 2.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 277,990 shares of the company's stock after selling 8,124 shares during the quarter. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P owned about 0.95% of Grand Canyon Education worth $45,535,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Grand Canyon Education by 0.3% in the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 332,642 shares of the company's stock valued at $47,185,000 after purchasing an additional 1,101 shares during the period. Raymond James Trust N.A. grew its holdings in Grand Canyon Education by 5.9% in the 3rd quarter. Raymond James Trust N.A. now owns 1,983 shares of the company's stock worth $281,000 after buying an additional 111 shares in the last quarter. Cerity Partners LLC grew its holdings in Grand Canyon Education by 41.8% in the 3rd quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 20,995 shares of the company's stock worth $2,978,000 after buying an additional 6,184 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC increased its position in Grand Canyon Education by 12.0% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 1,323,406 shares of the company's stock valued at $187,725,000 after acquiring an additional 141,648 shares during the period. Finally, Glenmede Trust Co. NA bought a new stake in Grand Canyon Education during the 3rd quarter valued at $334,000. 94.17% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

Grand Canyon Education Price Performance

Shares of LOPE traded up $3.54 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $176.56. The stock had a trading volume of 61,405 shares, compared to its average volume of 173,090. The company has a market capitalization of $5.07 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.79, a P/E/G ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.78. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $175.82 and its 200-day moving average price is $161.60. Grand Canyon Education, Inc. has a 52 week low of $126.17 and a 52 week high of $192.18.

Grand Canyon Education (NASDAQ:LOPE - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 19th. The company reported $2.95 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 firm had revenue of $292.57 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations 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.

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.