Nomura Holdings Inc. Increases Holdings in Grand Canyon Education, Inc. $LOPE

Key Points

• Nomura Holdings Inc. increased its stake in Grand Canyon Education, Inc. by 84.8% during Q1, owning a total of 31,181 shares valued at approximately $5.40 million.
• Several hedge funds, including Balyasny Asset Management, have significantly increased their holdings in Grand Canyon Education, with institutional investors now owning 94.17% of the company's stock.
• Grand Canyon Education reported a Q2 EPS of $1.53, exceeding estimates, and its revenue rose 8.8% year-over-year, totaling $247.50 million.

Nomura Holdings Inc. raised its holdings in Grand Canyon Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:LOPE - Free Report) by 84.8% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 31,181 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 14,307 shares during the quarter. Nomura Holdings Inc. owned approximately 0.11% of Grand Canyon Education worth $5,395,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Baird Financial Group Inc. bought a new position in Grand Canyon Education in the 1st quarter valued at $417,000. Vident Advisory LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Grand Canyon Education by 117.3% in the 1st quarter. Vident Advisory LLC now owns 20,846 shares of the company's stock worth $3,607,000 after buying an additional 11,255 shares during the period. Evergreen Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Grand Canyon Education in the 1st quarter worth $317,000. Magnetar Financial LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Grand Canyon Education by 396.6% in the 1st quarter. Magnetar Financial LLC now owns 6,729 shares of the company's stock worth $1,164,000 after buying an additional 5,374 shares during the period. Finally, Driehaus Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Grand Canyon Education in the 1st quarter worth $15,796,000. Institutional investors own 94.17% of the company's stock.

Grand Canyon Education Trading Down 0.4%

LOPE traded down $0.86 during trading on Friday, hitting $204.28. The company's stock had a trading volume of 171,092 shares, compared to its average volume of 246,975. Grand Canyon Education, Inc. has a twelve month low of $130.69 and a twelve month high of $207.22. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $185.79 and its 200 day simple moving average is $183.06. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.73, a P/E/G ratio of 1.50 and a beta of 0.80.

Grand Canyon Education (NASDAQ:LOPE - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 6th. The company reported $1.53 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.37 by $0.16. The firm had revenue of $247.50 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $240.90 million. Grand Canyon Education had a return on equity of 31.50% and a net margin of 22.15%.The business's revenue was up 8.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.19 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Grand Canyon Education, Inc. will post 8.81 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

LOPE has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Barrington Research restated an "outperform" rating and set a $215.00 price objective on shares of Grand Canyon Education in a research note on Thursday, August 7th. BMO Capital Markets decreased their price target on 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 upgraded Grand Canyon Education from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, August 9th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $203.67.

Grand Canyon Education Company 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.