Magnetar Financial LLC Grows Position in Grand Canyon Education, Inc. $LOPE

Key Points

• Magnetar Financial LLC increased its holdings in Grand Canyon Education, Inc. by 396.6% in Q1, owning 6,729 shares valued at approximately $1.16 million.
• Institutional investors, including SVB Wealth LLC and UMB Bank n.a., control 94.17% of Grand Canyon Education's stock, indicating strong institutional interest.
• Grand Canyon Education reported earnings of $1.53 EPS in Q2, surpassing expectations and reflecting an increase in revenue of 8.8% year-over-year.

Magnetar Financial LLC boosted its position in shares of Grand Canyon Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:LOPE - Free Report) by 396.6% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 6,729 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 5,374 shares during the quarter. Magnetar Financial LLC's holdings in Grand Canyon Education were worth $1,164,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its position in shares of Grand Canyon Education by 22,988.8% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 205,721 shares of the company's stock valued at $35,594,000 after acquiring an additional 204,830 shares during the period. Allianz Asset Management GmbH grew its stake in shares of Grand Canyon Education by 79.7% in the first quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 386,244 shares of the company's stock worth $66,828,000 after purchasing an additional 171,261 shares during the last quarter. Parsifal Capital Management LP purchased a new position in Grand Canyon Education during the 4th quarter valued at about $26,238,000. Nuveen LLC bought a new position in Grand Canyon Education during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $20,906,000. Finally, Pacer Advisors Inc. raised its position in Grand Canyon Education by 1,157.5% during the 1st quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 99,440 shares of the company's stock valued at $17,205,000 after purchasing an additional 91,532 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 94.17% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on LOPE shares. Barrington Research reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $215.00 price objective on shares of Grand Canyon Education in a research report on Thursday, August 7th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Grand Canyon Education from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, August 9th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reduced their price objective on shares of Grand Canyon Education from $222.00 to $210.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, July 7th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat, Grand Canyon Education presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $203.67.

Grand Canyon Education Price Performance

NASDAQ LOPE traded down $0.59 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $204.96. 82,700 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 219,297. The firm has a market cap of $5.76 billion, a PE ratio of 24.80, a PEG ratio of 1.48 and a beta of 0.80. Grand Canyon Education, Inc. has a 52-week low of $130.69 and a 52-week high of $207.22. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $185.13 and a 200 day simple moving average of $182.79.

Grand Canyon Education (NASDAQ:LOPE - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, August 6th. The company reported $1.53 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates 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 business had revenue of $247.50 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $240.90 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.19 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 8.8% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts forecast that Grand Canyon Education, Inc. will post 8.81 EPS for the current fiscal year.

About Grand Canyon Education

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.