Grand Canyon Education (NASDAQ:LOPE) Releases FY 2026 Earnings Guidance

Grand Canyon Education (NASDAQ:LOPE) updated its FY 2026 earnings guidance on Thursday morning. The company provided EPS guidance of 10.180-10.320 for the period, compared to the consensus EPS estimate of 10.070. The company issued revenue guidance of $1.2 billion-$1.2 billion, compared to the consensus revenue estimate of $1.2 billion. Grand Canyon Education also updated its Q3 2026 guidance to 1.740-1.780 EPS.

Grand Canyon Education Stock Performance

LOPE traded down $4.79 during trading on Friday, hitting $145.34. The stock had a trading volume of 451,149 shares, compared to its average volume of 358,735. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $147.37 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $160.20. Grand Canyon Education has a twelve month low of $134.27 and a twelve month high of $223.04. The company has a market capitalization of $3.85 billion, a PE ratio of 17.57, a PEG ratio of 1.00 and a beta of 0.57.

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

LOPE has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Barrington Research set a $200.00 target price on Grand Canyon Education in a research report on Friday. Wall Street Zen upgraded Grand Canyon Education from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Grand Canyon Education from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a report on Thursday, June 25th. BMO Capital Markets decreased 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. Finally, Truist Financial set a $100.00 target price on shares of Grand Canyon Education in a research note on Tuesday, June 9th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $161.67.

Grand Canyon Education News Roundup

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of LOPE. NewEdge Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Grand Canyon Education by 4,339.5% during the 1st quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 1,909 shares of the company’s stock valued at $330,000 after purchasing an additional 1,866 shares in the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Grand Canyon Education by 14.9% in the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 115,508 shares of the company’s stock worth $19,985,000 after acquiring an additional 15,019 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC boosted its stake in shares of Grand Canyon Education by 2.1% during the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 7,925 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,371,000 after acquiring an additional 161 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC increased its stake in shares of Grand Canyon Education by 7.3% in the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 123,214 shares of the company’s stock valued at $21,318,000 after purchasing an additional 8,421 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Jane Street Group LLC increased its stake in shares of Grand Canyon Education by 156.9% in the 1st quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 37,350 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,462,000 after purchasing an additional 22,812 shares in the last quarter. 94.17% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.