Grand Canyon Education, Inc. $LOPE Stock: Skylands Capital LLC Boosts Holdings

Key Points

• Skylands Capital increased its Grand Canyon Education stake by 15.9% in the third quarter, bringing its holdings to 66,715 shares valued at approximately $10.1 million.
• Institutional ownership remains high at 94.17%, with major investors including BlackRock, Reinhart Partners, William Blair Investment Management, and Wasatch Advisors adding or initiating positions.
• LOPE shares opened at $159.76, while analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus with an average price target of $160.67; the company recently exceeded quarterly EPS and revenue estimates.

Skylands Capital LLC lifted its stake in Grand Canyon Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:LOPE - Free Report) by 15.9% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 66,715 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 9,150 shares during the quarter. Grand Canyon Education comprises about 1.3% of Skylands Capital LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 20th largest holding. Skylands Capital LLC owned about 0.26% of Grand Canyon Education worth $10,113,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new stake in Grand Canyon Education during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $397,654,000. Reinhart Partners LLC. increased its stake in Grand Canyon Education by 22.9% during the 3rd quarter. Reinhart Partners LLC. now owns 1,085,326 shares of the company's stock valued at $164,525,000 after purchasing an additional 202,399 shares in the last quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in Grand Canyon Education during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $148,667,000. Wasatch Advisors LP raised its holdings in shares of Grand Canyon Education by 24.0% in the second quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP now owns 391,960 shares of the company's stock worth $56,093,000 after buying an additional 75,758 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Quantinno Capital Management LP raised its holdings in shares of Grand Canyon Education by 27.0% in the first quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 329,160 shares of the company's stock worth $55,967,000 after buying an additional 70,048 shares during the last quarter. 94.17% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Grand Canyon Education Stock Down 0.4%

Shares of NASDAQ LOPE opened at $159.76 on Thursday. Grand Canyon Education, Inc. has a 52 week low of $134.27 and a 52 week high of $223.04. The business's 50 day moving average price is $152.26 and its 200 day moving average price is $153.68. The firm has a market cap of $4.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.32, a P/E/G ratio of 1.05 and a beta of 0.58.

Grand Canyon Education (NASDAQ:LOPE - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The company reported $1.81 earnings per share (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 analyst estimates of $261.87 million. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.53 EPS. Grand Canyon Education's revenue for the quarter was up 6.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts expect that Grand Canyon Education, Inc. will post 10.22 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Grand Canyon Education from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Sunday, August 9th. Weiss Ratings reissued a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Grand Canyon Education in a report on Tuesday, September 22nd. BMO Capital Markets cut their target price on Grand Canyon Education from $185.00 to $182.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, October 5th. Finally, Barrington Research set a $200.00 target price on Grand Canyon Education in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $160.67.

Grand Canyon Education Profile

Grand Canyon Education, Inc NASDAQ: LOPE is an education services company that provides technology, operational and support services to colleges and universities. Rather than operating primarily as a traditional university, the company partners with higher education institutions to help them deliver online, hybrid and campus-based academic programs.

Its services include learning technology, digital course development, data analytics, marketing, student enrollment and support, financial aid assistance, faculty support, and other administrative functions.

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