Grand Canyon Education (NASDAQ:LOPE) Raised to "Buy" at Wall Street Zen

Key Points

• Wall Street Zen upgraded Grand Canyon Education to “Buy” from “Hold.” The stock has a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating from analysts, with an average price target of $161.67.
• Grand Canyon Education exceeded quarterly expectations, reporting $1.81 in EPS and $264.05 million in revenue, with revenue up 6.7% year over year.
• Near-term risk remains weaker profit guidance: third-quarter EPS guidance of $1.74–$1.78 was below the $1.83 analyst consensus, despite largely in-line revenue guidance.

Grand Canyon Education (NASDAQ:LOPE - Get Free Report) was upgraded by Wall Street Zen from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note issued on Saturday.

Several other research firms have also recently weighed in on LOPE. BMO Capital Markets lowered their price objective on shares of Grand Canyon Education from $198.00 to $185.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, July 6th. Truist Financial set a $100.00 price target on shares of Grand Canyon Education in a research note on Tuesday, June 9th. Barrington Research set a $200.00 price target on shares of Grand Canyon Education in a report on Friday. Finally, Weiss Ratings cut shares of Grand Canyon Education from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a research report on Thursday, June 25th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $161.67.

Grand Canyon Education Stock Performance

Grand Canyon Education stock opened at $145.34 on Friday. The business's fifty day moving average is $147.37 and its two-hundred day moving average is $160.20. The firm has a market cap of $3.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.57, a P/E/G ratio of 1.00 and a beta of 0.57. Grand Canyon Education has a 52 week low of $134.27 and a 52 week high of $223.04.

Grand Canyon Education (NASDAQ:LOPE - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The company reported $1.81 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.67 by $0.14. The business had revenue of $264.05 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $261.87 million. Grand Canyon Education had a return on equity of 35.82% and a net margin of 19.63%.The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 6.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.53 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts predict that Grand Canyon Education will post 10.04 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

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

Key Headlines Impacting Grand Canyon Education

Here are the key news stories impacting Grand Canyon Education this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Second-quarter results exceeded expectations: adjusted EPS was reported at $1.81 versus the $1.69 consensus, while revenue reached approximately $264.1 million, ahead of the $261.8 million estimate. Revenue increased 6.7% year over year, and EPS rose from $1.53 a year earlier. Grand Canyon Education Q2 earnings report
• Positive Sentiment: Grand Canyon Education raised its full-year 2026 EPS outlook to $10.18-$10.32, above the roughly $10.07 analyst consensus. The company expects full-year revenue of approximately $1.2 billion. Grand Canyon Education second-quarter 2026 results
• Positive Sentiment: Management outlined a long-term expansion strategy targeting as many as 80 hybrid learning locations and plans to open a law school in fall 2027, potentially adding new growth opportunities beyond its existing university-partner network. Grand Canyon Education hybrid locations and law school plans
• Negative Sentiment: Third-quarter EPS guidance of $1.74-$1.78 fell well below the $1.83 consensus estimate. Revenue guidance of $268.5 million-$270.5 million was broadly in line with expectations, making the weaker profit outlook the primary near-term concern. Grand Canyon Education earnings report and conference call

About Grand Canyon Education

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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