Grand Canyon Education, Inc. $LOPE Shares Acquired by Crossmark Global Holdings Inc.

Key Points

• Crossmark Global Holdings increased its stake in Grand Canyon Education by 48.7% in the fourth quarter, ending with 50,575 shares valued at about $8.4 million.
• Wall Street sentiment is mixed but constructive: Grand Canyon Education has a Moderate Buy consensus rating with a $220 average price target, while Barrington Research reiterated an outperform rating and a $230 target.
• The company reported better-than-expected quarterly results, posting $2.86 EPS versus $2.78 expected and revenue of $308.76 million, up 6.7% year over year.

Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. grew its holdings in Grand Canyon Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:LOPE - Free Report) by 48.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 50,575 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 16,562 shares during the quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. owned approximately 0.18% of Grand Canyon Education worth $8,411,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of LOPE. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Grand Canyon Education during the third quarter worth approximately $32,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Grand Canyon Education during the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. Employees Retirement System of Texas acquired a new stake in Grand Canyon Education during the third quarter worth approximately $48,000. Financial Life Planners acquired a new stake in Grand Canyon Education during the third quarter worth approximately $49,000. Finally, Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. acquired a new stake in Grand Canyon Education during the third quarter worth approximately $55,000. 94.17% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on LOPE shares. Barrington Research reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $230.00 price target on shares of Grand Canyon Education in a research note on Thursday, April 16th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "hold (c+)" rating on shares of Grand Canyon Education in a research note on Friday, April 10th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Grand Canyon Education presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $220.00.

Grand Canyon Education Trading Up 1.0%

Shares of LOPE stock opened at $166.09 on Friday. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $167.04 and its 200-day simple moving average is $169.83. Grand Canyon Education, Inc. has a 52 week low of $149.37 and a 52 week high of $223.04. The company has a market cap of $4.40 billion, a PE ratio of 20.76, a P/E/G ratio of 1.08 and a beta of 0.62.

Grand Canyon Education (NASDAQ:LOPE - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $2.86 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.78 by $0.08. Grand Canyon Education had a net margin of 19.54% and a return on equity of 34.72%. The business had revenue of $308.76 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $307.75 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.57 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 6.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts expect that Grand Canyon Education, Inc. will post 10.22 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Grand Canyon Education Profile

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.

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