VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al Makes New Investment in Grand Canyon Education, Inc. $LOPE

Key Points

• Virginia Retirement Systems initiated a position in Grand Canyon Education, purchasing 11,378 shares valued at approximately $1.63 million. Institutional investors collectively own 94.17% of LOPE.
• Analysts maintain a generally positive view, with three Buy ratings and two Holds, producing a “Moderate Buy” consensus and an average price target of $161.67.
• Grand Canyon Education exceeded quarterly expectations, reporting $1.81 in EPS versus $1.67 expected and revenue of $264.05 million, up 6.7% year over year.

VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al bought a new position in Grand Canyon Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:LOPE - Free Report) in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 11,378 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,628,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in LOPE. International Assets Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in Grand Canyon Education in the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Toronto Dominion Bank purchased a new position in Grand Canyon Education during the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. Larson Financial Group LLC lifted its position in Grand Canyon Education by 70.7% during the fourth quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 157 shares of the company's stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 65 shares during the period. Leonteq Securities AG boosted its holdings in shares of Grand Canyon Education by 48.9% during the 1st quarter. Leonteq Securities AG now owns 195 shares of the company's stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 64 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Financial Life Planners bought a new stake in shares of Grand Canyon Education during the 1st quarter valued at $33,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.17% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on LOPE shares. Truist Financial set a $100.00 target price on shares of Grand Canyon Education in a research report on Tuesday, June 9th. BMO Capital Markets dropped their price objective on shares of Grand Canyon Education from $198.00 to $185.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, July 6th. Barrington Research set a $200.00 price objective on shares of Grand Canyon Education in a report on Friday, July 31st. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Grand Canyon Education from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a research note on Thursday, June 25th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Grand Canyon Education from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Sunday, August 9th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $161.67.

Grand Canyon Education Price Performance

LOPE opened at $151.20 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $147.86 and a 200-day moving average price of $155.63. The firm has a market cap of $3.94 billion, a PE ratio of 18.28, a P/E/G ratio of 0.99 and a beta of 0.58. Grand Canyon Education, Inc. has a 1 year low of $134.27 and a 1 year high of $223.04.

Grand Canyon Education (NASDAQ:LOPE - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 30th. The company reported $1.81 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.67 by $0.14. The company had revenue of $264.05 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $261.87 million. Grand Canyon Education had a net margin of 19.63% and a return on equity of 36.62%. Grand Canyon Education's revenue for the quarter was up 6.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.53 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Grand Canyon Education, Inc. will post 10.22 EPS for the current year.

Grand Canyon Education Profile

Grand Canyon Education, Inc is an education services company that provides technology, operational and support solutions to colleges and universities. Its services are designed to help partner institutions deliver traditional, online and hybrid academic programs while managing student recruitment, enrollment and ongoing support.

The company's offerings include learning-management and information-technology systems, marketing and student outreach, academic counseling, finance and accounting support, faculty and curriculum services, and data analytics.

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