Lisanti Capital Growth LLC Takes Position in Grand Canyon Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:LOPE)

Lisanti Capital Growth LLC bought a new stake in Grand Canyon Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:LOPE - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor bought 7,710 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,334,000.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. GeoWealth Management LLC bought a new position in Grand Canyon Education during the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Grand Canyon Education in the fourth quarter valued at about $32,000. UMB Bank n.a. grew its stake in shares of Grand Canyon Education by 107.8% in the first quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 318 shares of the company's stock valued at $55,000 after acquiring an additional 165 shares in the last quarter. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd bought a new position in Grand Canyon Education during the fourth quarter worth about $59,000. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. raised its stake in Grand Canyon Education by 20.5% in the 1st quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 577 shares of the company's stock worth $100,000 after purchasing an additional 98 shares in the last quarter. 94.17% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently commented on LOPE. BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on shares of Grand Canyon Education from $208.00 to $222.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, May 22nd. Barrington Research raised their price objective on Grand Canyon Education from $205.00 to $215.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded Grand Canyon Education from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 24th.

Grand Canyon Education Trading Down 3.6%

LOPE stock traded down $6.78 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $182.51. The stock had a trading volume of 253,921 shares, compared to its average volume of 182,940. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $189.41 and a 200 day simple moving average of $178.00. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.90, a P/E/G ratio of 1.44 and a beta of 0.77. 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 announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 6th. The company reported $2.57 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.51 by $0.06. Grand Canyon Education had a net margin of 21.94% and a return on equity of 30.94%. The business had revenue of $289.31 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $287.18 million. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.35 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 5.3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts expect 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.