Swiss National Bank Sells 1,400 Shares of Grand Canyon Education, Inc. $LOPE

Key Points

• The Swiss National Bank reduced its stake in Grand Canyon Education, Inc. (NASDAQ: LOPE) by 2.4%, selling 1,400 shares and leaving it with a total of 56,500 shares valued at $9,776,000.
• Several institutional investors significantly increased their positions in Grand Canyon Education, with T. Rowe Price and Allianz Asset Management notably boosting their holdings by millions.
• Grand Canyon Education reported higher-than-expected earnings of $1.53 EPS for the last quarter, surpassing analyst expectations and reflecting an 8.8% year-over-year revenue growth.

Swiss National Bank decreased its position in Grand Canyon Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:LOPE - Free Report) by 2.4% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 56,500 shares of the company's stock after selling 1,400 shares during the quarter. Swiss National Bank owned about 0.20% of Grand Canyon Education worth $9,776,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in LOPE. Sterling Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Grand Canyon Education by 44.7% in the 4th quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 1,341 shares of the company's stock valued at $220,000 after buying an additional 414 shares in the last quarter. Barclays PLC grew its stake in shares of Grand Canyon Education by 152.3% in the 4th quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 47,877 shares of the company's stock valued at $7,842,000 after buying an additional 28,900 shares in the last quarter. GeoWealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Grand Canyon Education in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. First Trust Advisors LP grew its stake in shares of Grand Canyon Education by 5.0% in the 4th quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 126,950 shares of the company's stock valued at $20,794,000 after buying an additional 6,092 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Capital Research Global Investors bought a new stake in shares of Grand Canyon Education in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $4,180,000. Institutional investors own 94.17% of the company's stock.

Grand Canyon Education Trading Up 1.9%

Grand Canyon Education stock traded up $3.76 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $205.23. 288,416 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 322,995. Grand Canyon Education, Inc. has a 12 month low of $130.69 and a 12 month high of $205.43. The firm has a market cap of $5.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.85, a PEG ratio of 1.48 and a beta of 0.79. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $182.37 and a 200 day moving average of $181.47.

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the company. BMO Capital Markets decreased their target price on 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. Barrington Research reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $215.00 target price on shares of Grand Canyon Education in a research report on Thursday, August 7th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised Grand Canyon Education from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, August 9th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $203.67.

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.