FIL Ltd Sells 163,697 Shares of Grand Canyon Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:LOPE)

FIL Ltd reduced its position in Grand Canyon Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:LOPE - Free Report) by 28.0% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 420,830 shares of the company's stock after selling 163,697 shares during the quarter. FIL Ltd owned approximately 1.44% of Grand Canyon Education worth $68,932,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. FMR LLC raised its stake in Grand Canyon Education by 14.3% in the 4th quarter. FMR LLC now owns 1,513,249 shares of the company's stock valued at $247,870,000 after acquiring an additional 189,843 shares during the period. State Street Corp grew its stake in Grand Canyon Education by 0.9% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 883,971 shares of the company's stock valued at $125,391,000 after buying an additional 8,159 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. lifted its position in shares of Grand Canyon Education by 8.6% during the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 494,706 shares of the company's stock worth $81,033,000 after acquiring an additional 39,136 shares in the last quarter. Boston Partners boosted its holdings in shares of Grand Canyon Education by 68.6% in the fourth quarter. Boston Partners now owns 392,954 shares of the company's stock worth $64,786,000 after acquiring an additional 159,827 shares during the period. Finally, Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Grand Canyon Education in the fourth quarter valued at $57,838,000. 94.17% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Grand Canyon Education Trading Up 1.2 %

Shares of Grand Canyon Education stock traded up $2.10 on Tuesday, hitting $176.21. 27,857 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 178,032. Grand Canyon Education, Inc. has a 12-month low of $126.17 and a 12-month high of $192.18. The company has a market cap of $5.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.77, a P/E/G ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.82. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $175.21 and its 200 day simple moving average is $163.86.

Grand Canyon Education (NASDAQ:LOPE - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 19th. The company reported $2.95 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.93 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $292.57 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $289.62 million. Grand Canyon Education had a return on equity of 30.67% and a net margin of 21.90%. Analysts predict that Grand Canyon Education, Inc. will post 8.81 earnings per share for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have commented on LOPE shares. BMO Capital Markets raised their target price 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. Barrington Research reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $205.00 price objective on shares of Grand Canyon Education in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of Grand Canyon Education from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th.

Grand Canyon Education Company 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.