Grand Canyon Education (NASDAQ:LOPE) Shares Down 4.5% – Should You Sell?

Grand Canyon Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:LOPE)’s share price fell 4.5% during mid-day trading on Monday . The company traded as low as $187.72 and last traded at $185.45. 9,220 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 95% from the average session volume of 180,726 shares. The stock had previously closed at $194.20.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on LOPE shares. BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on shares of Grand Canyon Education from $208.00 to $222.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 22nd. Barrington Research raised their price objective on shares of Grand Canyon Education from $205.00 to $215.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Grand Canyon Education from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, April 24th.

Grand Canyon Education Stock Down 3.8%

The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $184.35 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $175.73. The company has a market capitalization of $5.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.10, a P/E/G ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.79.

Grand Canyon Education (NASDAQ:LOPE) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The company reported $2.57 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.51 by $0.06. Grand Canyon Education had a net margin of 21.90% and a return on equity of 30.67%. The firm had revenue of $289.31 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $287.18 million. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.35 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 5.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts predict that Grand Canyon Education, Inc. will post 8.81 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of Grand Canyon Education

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Strs Ohio bought a new position in shares of Grand Canyon Education during the first quarter worth $1,729,000. Foresight Group Ltd Liability Partnership bought a new position in Grand Canyon Education during the first quarter worth about $14,408,000. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. grew its stake in Grand Canyon Education by 46.8% in the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 791 shares of the company’s stock valued at $137,000 after acquiring an additional 252 shares during the period. Focus Partners Wealth acquired a new stake in shares of Grand Canyon Education during the first quarter worth about $229,000. Finally, Jane Street Group LLC raised its position in shares of Grand Canyon Education by 156.9% during the first quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 37,350 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,462,000 after purchasing an additional 22,812 shares during the period. 94.17% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.