CCM Investment Group LLC Buys New Shares in Grand Canyon Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:LOPE)

Key Points

• CCM Investment Group LLC purchased 3,518 shares of Grand Canyon Education, Inc. for approximately $615,000 in the first quarter, indicating growing institutional interest in the company.
• Grand Canyon Education reported a quarterly EPS of $1.53, surpassing analysts' expectations of $1.37, and had a 22.15% net margin with revenue up 8.8% year-over-year.
• Analyst ratings for Grand Canyon Education have improved, with Wall Street Zen upgrading the stock from "hold" to "buy" and Barrington Research maintaining an "outperform" rating with a target price of $215.00.

CCM Investment Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Grand Canyon Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:LOPE - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund acquired 3,518 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $615,000.

Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Nuveen LLC bought a new position in Grand Canyon Education during the first quarter worth about $20,906,000. Entropy Technologies LP lifted its holdings in Grand Canyon Education by 87.7% during the first quarter. Entropy Technologies LP now owns 6,421 shares of the company's stock worth $1,111,000 after acquiring an additional 3,000 shares in the last quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. lifted its holdings in Grand Canyon Education by 2.9% during the first quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 2,683 shares of the company's stock worth $464,000 after acquiring an additional 75 shares in the last quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC bought a new position in Grand Canyon Education during the first quarter worth about $86,000. Finally, Deutsche Bank AG lifted its holdings in Grand Canyon Education by 7.1% during the first quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 93,468 shares of the company's stock worth $16,172,000 after acquiring an additional 6,174 shares in the last quarter. 94.17% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Grand Canyon Education Trading Up 1.1%

Shares of Grand Canyon Education stock traded up $2.21 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $198.00. The stock had a trading volume of 263,425 shares, compared to its average volume of 315,318. The company has a market capitalization of $5.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.97, a P/E/G ratio of 1.44 and a beta of 0.79. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $180.68 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $180.23. Grand Canyon Education, Inc. has a 52 week low of $130.69 and a 52 week high of $202.28.

Grand Canyon Education (NASDAQ:LOPE - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 6th. The company reported $1.53 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.37 by $0.16. The company had revenue of $247.50 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $240.90 million. Grand Canyon Education had a return on equity of 31.50% and a net margin of 22.15%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 8.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.19 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts forecast that Grand Canyon Education, Inc. will post 8.81 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have weighed in on the company. BMO Capital Markets reduced their target price on Grand Canyon Education from $222.00 to $210.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, July 7th. Barrington Research restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $215.00 price target on shares of Grand Canyon Education in a report on Thursday, August 7th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded Grand Canyon Education from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday.

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.