Grand Canyon Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:LOPE) Short Interest Down 17.9% in March

Grand Canyon Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:LOPE - Get Free Report) was the target of a significant decline in short interest during the month of March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totalling 413,100 shares, a decline of 17.9% from the March 15th total of 503,100 shares. Currently, 1.4% of the company's stock are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 203,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 2.0 days.

Grand Canyon Education Stock Performance

Shares of LOPE stock traded down $1.46 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $130.70. The company had a trading volume of 104,730 shares, compared to its average volume of 150,850. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.22, a PEG ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 0.59. Grand Canyon Education has a 12 month low of $99.65 and a 12 month high of $144.94. The firm's fifty day moving average is $132.85 and its 200 day moving average is $130.39.

Grand Canyon Education (NASDAQ:LOPE - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 13th. The company reported $2.77 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.72 by $0.05. Grand Canyon Education had a net margin of 21.33% and a return on equity of 31.75%. The company had revenue of $278.28 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $275.00 million. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Grand Canyon Education will post 7.65 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Grand Canyon Education

In related news, CTO Dilek Marsh sold 1,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $132.65, for a total value of $198,975.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief technology officer now directly owns 25,674 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,405,656.10. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Corporate insiders own 2.00% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. BTC Capital Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Grand Canyon Education during the first quarter worth $393,000. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Grand Canyon Education by 11.2% during the first quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC now owns 456,839 shares of the company's stock valued at $62,226,000 after purchasing an additional 46,024 shares during the period. Reinhart Partners LLC. increased its position in shares of Grand Canyon Education by 2.2% during the first quarter. Reinhart Partners LLC. now owns 307,859 shares of the company's stock worth $41,933,000 after acquiring an additional 6,774 shares in the last quarter. Kapitalo Investimentos Ltda bought a new stake in shares of Grand Canyon Education during the fourth quarter worth about $657,000. Finally, HighPoint Advisor Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Grand Canyon Education during the fourth quarter worth about $212,000. 94.17% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, Barrington Research boosted their target price on shares of Grand Canyon Education from $150.00 to $160.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 14th.

About Grand Canyon Education

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.