Heartland Advisors Inc. Takes Position in Grand Canyon Education, Inc. $LOPE

Heartland Advisors Inc. bought a new position in Grand Canyon Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:LOPE) during the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 19,527 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,795,000. Heartland Advisors Inc. owned 0.07% of Grand Canyon Education at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of LOPE. International Assets Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in Grand Canyon Education in the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Larson Financial Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 65 shares during the last quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank bought a new stake in shares of Grand Canyon Education in the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Financial Life Planners bought a new stake in shares of Grand Canyon Education in the 1st quarter worth approximately $33,000. Finally, Leonteq Securities AG grew 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 buying an additional 64 shares during the last quarter. 94.17% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Grand Canyon Education Stock Performance

NASDAQ LOPE opened at $147.46 on Friday. Grand Canyon Education, Inc. has a one year low of $134.27 and a one year high of $223.04. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $146.11 and a 200 day moving average of $157.08. The company has a market capitalization of $3.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.83, a PEG ratio of 0.96 and a beta of 0.57.

Grand Canyon Education (NASDAQ:LOPE) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The company reported $1.81 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.67 by $0.14. Grand Canyon Education had a net margin of 19.63% and a return on equity of 36.62%. The business had revenue of $264.05 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $261.87 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.53 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts predict that Grand Canyon Education, Inc. will post 10.24 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on LOPE shares. Wall Street Zen lowered Grand Canyon Education from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday, August 9th. Barrington Research set a $200.00 target price on Grand Canyon Education in a research note on Friday, July 31st. BMO Capital Markets lowered their price target on 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. Finally, Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Grand Canyon Education from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research note on Thursday, June 25th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $161.67.

Grand Canyon Education 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.