Skylands Capital LLC Sells 15,135 Shares of Grand Canyon Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:LOPE)

Skylands Capital LLC trimmed its holdings in Grand Canyon Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:LOPE - Free Report) by 24.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 47,092 shares of the company's stock after selling 15,135 shares during the period. Grand Canyon Education comprises approximately 1.1% of Skylands Capital LLC's holdings, making the stock its 26th largest holding. Skylands Capital LLC owned about 0.16% of Grand Canyon Education worth $7,714,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in LOPE. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. Holding AG acquired a new position in Grand Canyon Education in the third quarter worth about $1,867,000. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans grew its position in shares of Grand Canyon Education by 4.8% in the 3rd quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 423,633 shares of the company's stock worth $60,092,000 after acquiring an additional 19,577 shares in the last quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Grand Canyon Education by 9.2% in the 3rd quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 2,483 shares of the company's stock worth $352,000 after acquiring an additional 209 shares in the last quarter. Icon Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Grand Canyon Education by 113.7% in the 3rd quarter. Icon Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 9,213 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,307,000 after acquiring an additional 4,901 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James & Associates raised its position in shares of Grand Canyon Education by 9.8% during the 3rd quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 66,160 shares of the company's stock valued at $9,385,000 after acquiring an additional 5,902 shares in the last quarter. 94.17% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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Insider Activity at Grand Canyon Education

In other news, CTO Dilek Marsh sold 1,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $166.07, for a total value 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 transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 2.00% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Grand Canyon Education Stock Performance

Shares of LOPE traded down $1.21 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $178.18. 219,261 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 158,865. The firm's 50 day moving average is $171.83 and its 200-day moving average is $156.43. Grand Canyon Education, Inc. has a 52 week low of $126.17 and a 52 week high of $192.18. The company has a market cap of $5.12 billion, a PE ratio of 23.02, a PEG ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.74.

Grand Canyon Education (NASDAQ:LOPE - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 19th. The company reported $2.95 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.93 by $0.02. Grand Canyon Education had a return on equity of 30.67% and a net margin of 21.90%. The business had revenue of $292.57 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $289.62 million. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Grand Canyon Education, Inc. will post 8.81 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have weighed in on LOPE shares. Robert W. Baird boosted their target price on shares of Grand Canyon Education from $170.00 to $186.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, November 7th. StockNews.com raised shares of Grand Canyon Education from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday. Barrington Research boosted their target price on Grand Canyon Education from $180.00 to $205.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 20th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on Grand Canyon Education from $181.00 to $202.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st.

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.