AQR Capital Management LLC Grows Stake in Grand Canyon Education, Inc. $LOPE

Key Points

• AQR Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in Grand Canyon Education, Inc. to approximately $99.66 million, owning 2.03% of the company after acquiring an additional 12,003 shares.
• Grand Canyon Education's quarterly earnings topped analysts' expectations, reporting $1.53 EPS against a consensus estimate of $1.37, and achieved revenue of $247.50 million.
• Wall Street analysts maintain a consensus "Buy" rating for Grand Canyon Education with an average price target of $203.67, reflecting positive growth forecasts for the company.

AQR Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Grand Canyon Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:LOPE - Free Report) by 2.1% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 577,082 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 12,003 shares during the quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC owned approximately 2.03% of Grand Canyon Education worth $99,656,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Pallas Capital Advisors LLC lifted its position in Grand Canyon Education by 5.0% during the 1st quarter. Pallas Capital Advisors LLC now owns 1,355 shares of the company's stock worth $234,000 after acquiring an additional 65 shares during the period. Diversified Trust Co lifted its position in Grand Canyon Education by 5.4% during the 1st quarter. Diversified Trust Co now owns 1,293 shares of the company's stock worth $224,000 after acquiring an additional 66 shares during the period. Synovus Financial Corp lifted its position in Grand Canyon Education by 2.8% during the 1st quarter. Synovus Financial Corp now owns 2,476 shares of the company's stock worth $428,000 after acquiring an additional 68 shares during the period. Benjamin Edwards Inc. lifted its position in Grand Canyon Education by 2.9% during the 1st quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 2,683 shares of the company's stock worth $464,000 after acquiring an additional 75 shares during the period. Finally, NDVR Inc. lifted its position in Grand Canyon Education by 5.1% during the 4th quarter. NDVR Inc. now owns 1,878 shares of the company's stock worth $308,000 after acquiring an additional 91 shares during the period. 94.17% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have weighed in on LOPE shares. Wall Street Zen raised Grand Canyon Education from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, August 9th. Barrington Research reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $215.00 price objective on shares of Grand Canyon Education in a research report on Thursday, August 7th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets decreased their price objective on Grand Canyon Education from $222.00 to $210.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, July 7th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $203.67.

Grand Canyon Education Trading Down 0.1%

Shares of LOPE traded down $0.16 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $205.29. The company's stock had a trading volume of 206,397 shares, compared to its average volume of 219,863. Grand Canyon Education, Inc. has a 1-year low of $130.69 and a 1-year high of $207.22. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $186.12 and a 200 day simple moving average of $183.20. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.85, a P/E/G ratio of 1.50 and a beta of 0.80.

Grand Canyon Education (NASDAQ:LOPE - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 6th. The company reported $1.53 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.37 by $0.16. Grand Canyon Education had a net margin of 22.15% and a return on equity of 31.50%. The firm had revenue of $247.50 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $240.90 million. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.19 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 8.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Grand Canyon Education, Inc. will post 8.81 EPS for the current fiscal 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.