Grand Canyon Education (NASDAQ:LOPE) Downgraded by Wall Street Zen to "Hold"

Key Points

• Wall Street Zen downgraded Grand Canyon Education from “Buy” to “Hold,” although analysts overall maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus with an average price target of $161.67.
• LOPE shares rose 2.5% to open at $152.53, while the stock remains below its 12-month high of $223.04 and above its low of $134.27.
• Grand Canyon Education exceeded quarterly expectations, reporting $1.81 in EPS versus $1.67 expected and $264.05 million in revenue, up 6.7% year over year.

Grand Canyon Education (NASDAQ:LOPE - Get Free Report) was downgraded by research analysts at Wall Street Zen from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report released on Sunday.

Several other research firms have also commented on LOPE. 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. Weiss Ratings downgraded Grand Canyon Education from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a research note on Thursday, June 25th. Barrington Research set a $200.00 target price on shares of Grand Canyon Education in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Finally, Truist Financial set a $100.00 price target on shares of Grand Canyon Education in a research note on Tuesday, June 9th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $161.67.

Grand Canyon Education Stock Up 2.5%

Shares of LOPE stock opened at $152.53 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $3.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.44, a PEG ratio of 0.99 and a beta of 0.57. The business's fifty day moving average is $147.17 and its 200 day moving average is $159.27. Grand Canyon Education has a twelve month low of $134.27 and a twelve month 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 business had revenue of $264.05 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $261.87 million. Grand Canyon Education had a return on equity of 36.62% and a net margin of 19.63%.The company's revenue for the quarter was up 6.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.53 earnings per share. Equities research analysts expect that Grand Canyon Education will post 10.24 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of Grand Canyon Education

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. International Assets Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in Grand Canyon Education in the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Toronto Dominion Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Grand Canyon Education during the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Larson Financial Group LLC increased its position in shares of Grand Canyon Education by 70.7% during the 4th quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 157 shares of the company's stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares during the last quarter. Leonteq Securities AG lifted its stake in shares of Grand Canyon Education by 48.9% in the 1st quarter. Leonteq Securities AG now owns 195 shares of the company's stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 64 shares during the period. Finally, Financial Life Planners bought a new position in shares of Grand Canyon Education in the 1st quarter worth approximately $33,000. Institutional investors own 94.17% of the company's stock.

Grand Canyon Education Company 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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