Jefferies Financial Group Inc. Acquires Shares of 2,033 Grand Canyon Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:LOPE)

Key Points

• Jefferies Financial Group Inc. invested approximately $352,000 in Grand Canyon Education, acquiring 2,033 shares, as reported in its recent SEC filing.
• Institutional investors collectively own about 94.17% of Grand Canyon Education's stock, with several firms increasing their stakes during the first quarter.
• Grand Canyon Education reported $1.53 earnings per share (EPS) for its latest quarter, exceeding analysts' expectations, alongside an 8.8% year-over-year revenue growth.

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. bought a new stake in Grand Canyon Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:LOPE - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 2,033 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $352,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in LOPE. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Grand Canyon Education in the 4th quarter valued at $38,066,000. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its holdings in Grand Canyon Education by 22,988.8% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 205,721 shares of the company's stock worth $35,594,000 after purchasing an additional 204,830 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC raised its holdings in Grand Canyon Education by 14.3% in the 4th quarter. FMR LLC now owns 1,513,249 shares of the company's stock worth $247,870,000 after purchasing an additional 189,843 shares in the last quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH increased its stake in shares of Grand Canyon Education by 79.7% in the 1st quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 386,244 shares of the company's stock worth $66,828,000 after acquiring an additional 171,261 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Parsifal Capital Management LP bought a new position in shares of Grand Canyon Education in the 4th quarter worth about $26,238,000. 94.17% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

LOPE has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Barrington Research reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $215.00 price objective on shares of Grand Canyon Education in a research report on Thursday. BMO Capital Markets reduced their price target on shares of Grand Canyon Education from $222.00 to $210.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, July 7th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of Grand Canyon Education from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday.

Grand Canyon Education Stock Up 1.8%

NASDAQ:LOPE traded up $3.55 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $198.23. 588,359 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 281,392. Grand Canyon Education, Inc. has a 1 year low of $130.69 and a 1 year high of $202.28. The company has a market cap of $5.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.00, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 0.79. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $180.76 and a 200 day moving average price of $179.88.

Grand Canyon Education (NASDAQ:LOPE - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 6th. The company reported $1.53 earnings per share (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 for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $240.90 million. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.19 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 8.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts forecast that Grand Canyon Education, Inc. will post 8.81 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.