Brokerages Set Grand Canyon Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:LOPE) Target Price at $161.67

Shares of Grand Canyon Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:LOPE) have earned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the five ratings firms that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating on the company. The average twelve-month price target among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $161.6667.

Several research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Grand Canyon Education from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Thursday, June 25th. Truist Financial set a $100.00 price objective on Grand Canyon Education in a report on Tuesday, June 9th. Wall Street Zen lowered Grand Canyon Education from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, August 9th. BMO Capital Markets lowered their price objective on Grand Canyon Education from $198.00 to $185.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, July 6th. Finally, Barrington Research set a $200.00 target price on Grand Canyon Education in a report on Friday, July 31st.

Institutional Trading of Grand Canyon Education

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. NewEdge Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Grand Canyon Education by 4,339.5% during the first quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 1,909 shares of the company’s stock valued at $330,000 after acquiring an additional 1,866 shares during the period. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Grand Canyon Education by 14.9% in the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 115,508 shares of the company’s stock worth $19,985,000 after purchasing an additional 15,019 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC grew its holdings in shares of Grand Canyon Education by 2.1% in the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 7,925 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,371,000 after purchasing an additional 161 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC increased its position in shares of Grand Canyon Education by 7.3% during the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 123,214 shares of the company’s stock worth $21,318,000 after purchasing an additional 8,421 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Jane Street Group LLC increased its position in shares of Grand Canyon Education by 156.9% during the 1st 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 in the last quarter. 94.17% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Grand Canyon Education Price Performance

Shares of Grand Canyon Education stock opened at $151.19 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.94 billion, a PE ratio of 18.28, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.98 and a beta of 0.57. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $146.78 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $156.39. Grand Canyon Education has a 52-week low of $134.27 and a 52-week high of $223.04.

Grand Canyon Education (NASDAQ:LOPE) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 30th. The company reported $1.81 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.67 by $0.14. Grand Canyon Education had a net margin of 19.63% and a return on equity of 36.62%. The company had revenue of $264.05 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $261.87 million. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.53 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts predict that Grand Canyon Education will post 10.24 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

About Grand Canyon Education

Grand Canyon Education, Inc provides a suite of higher‐education services through a long-term agreement with Grand Canyon University (GCU), one of the nation’s largest private Christian universities. The company’s offerings encompass a full range of academic and operational support functions, including enrollment management, student recruitment, curriculum development, instructional delivery, and technology infrastructure. Through its online program management capabilities, Grand Canyon Education helps design, market and deliver undergraduate, graduate and certificate programs to meet the needs of both traditional and non‐traditional learners.

Core services include digital marketing, admissions support, student success coaching, learning management systems and faculty recruitment.