Vanguard Group Inc. Sells 37,084 Shares of Grand Canyon Education, Inc. $LOPE

Key Points

• Vanguard trimmed its stake in Grand Canyon Education by 1.3% in Q4, selling 37,084 shares and leaving it with 2,766,158 shares (about 9.89% ownership) valued at roughly $460.04 million.
• Recent quarter beat expectations — Grand Canyon reported $2.86 EPS vs. $2.78 expected and $308.76M revenue (vs. $307.75M), with revenue up 6.7% YoY, a 34.72% ROE and a 19.54% net margin.
• Analyst sentiment is moderately positive: consensus rating is "Moderate Buy" with a $220 price target (two Buys, two Holds), and price objectives ranging up to $230 from Barrington Research.

Vanguard Group Inc. trimmed its stake in Grand Canyon Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:LOPE - Free Report) by 1.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 2,766,158 shares of the company's stock after selling 37,084 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. owned about 9.89% of Grand Canyon Education worth $460,040,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Mather Group LLC. purchased a new stake in shares of Grand Canyon Education in the third quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Grand Canyon Education during the 3rd quarter worth $32,000. Employees Retirement System of Texas bought a new stake in Grand Canyon Education during the 3rd quarter valued at $48,000. Financial Life Planners bought a new stake in Grand Canyon Education during the 3rd quarter valued at $49,000. Finally, Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of Grand Canyon Education in the 3rd quarter worth $55,000. 94.17% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Grand Canyon Education Stock Up 1.8%

Shares of NASDAQ:LOPE opened at $169.25 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $4.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.08 and a beta of 0.62. Grand Canyon Education, Inc. has a 52 week low of $149.37 and a 52 week high of $223.04. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $166.68 and a 200 day moving average of $170.48.

Grand Canyon Education (NASDAQ:LOPE - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $2.86 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.78 by $0.08. The company had revenue of $308.76 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $307.75 million. Grand Canyon Education had a return on equity of 34.72% and a net margin of 19.54%.Grand Canyon Education's revenue was up 6.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.57 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Grand Canyon Education, Inc. will post 10.22 EPS for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have recently commented on LOPE shares. Weiss Ratings restated a "hold (c+)" rating on shares of Grand Canyon Education in a research note on Friday, April 10th. Barrington Research reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $230.00 price objective on shares of Grand Canyon Education in a research note on Thursday, April 16th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Grand Canyon Education presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $220.00.

Grand Canyon Education Profile

Grand Canyon Education, Inc provides a suite of higher‐education services through a long-term agreement with Grand Canyon University (GCU), one of the nation's largest private Christian universities. The company's offerings encompass a full range of academic and operational support functions, including enrollment management, student recruitment, curriculum development, instructional delivery, and technology infrastructure. Through its online program management capabilities, Grand Canyon Education helps design, market and deliver undergraduate, graduate and certificate programs to meet the needs of both traditional and non‐traditional learners.

Core services include digital marketing, admissions support, student success coaching, learning management systems and faculty recruitment.

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