Grand Canyon Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:LOPE) Shares Bought by Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board

Key Points

• The Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board increased its stake in Grand Canyon Education, Inc. by 95.9%, owning a total of 24,336 shares worth approximately $4.2 million after purchasing an additional 11,915 shares.
• Grand Canyon Education reported a net margin of 21.94% and a return on equity of 30.94%, with earnings per share of $1.53 for the last quarter, surpassing analysts' expectations.
• Analysts have issued mixed ratings, with a recent reaffirmation of an "outperform" rating by Barrington Research and a downgrade from a "buy" to a "hold" by Wall Street Zen.

Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board raised its position in Grand Canyon Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:LOPE - Free Report) by 95.9% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 24,336 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 11,915 shares during the period. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board owned about 0.09% of Grand Canyon Education worth $4,211,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. GeoWealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Grand Canyon Education during the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd acquired a new stake in Grand Canyon Education during the 4th quarter worth approximately $32,000. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of Grand Canyon Education by 58.2% in the 1st quarter. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. now owns 261 shares of the company's stock valued at $45,000 after purchasing an additional 96 shares in the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. raised its stake in Grand Canyon Education by 107.8% during the 1st quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 318 shares of the company's stock worth $55,000 after acquiring an additional 165 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cypress Capital Management LLC WY purchased a new position in Grand Canyon Education during the 1st quarter worth $65,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.17% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Barrington Research reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $215.00 target price on shares of Grand Canyon Education in a report on Thursday. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Grand Canyon Education from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday. Finally, BMO Capital Markets cut their target price on shares of Grand Canyon Education from $222.00 to $210.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, July 7th.

Grand Canyon Education Stock Performance

Grand Canyon Education stock traded up $3.55 during trading on Friday, reaching $198.23. The company had a trading volume of 588,359 shares, compared to its average volume of 281,392. Grand Canyon Education, Inc. has a 12-month low of $130.69 and a 12-month high of $202.28. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $180.76 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $179.82. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.00, a PEG ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 0.79.

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, topping the consensus estimate of $1.37 by $0.16. The company had revenue of $247.50 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $240.90 million. Grand Canyon Education had a net margin of 22.15% and a return on equity of 31.50%. Grand Canyon Education's revenue for the quarter was up 8.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.19 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts expect that Grand Canyon Education, Inc. will post 8.81 earnings per share for the current 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.