Grand Canyon Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:LOPE) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Shares of Grand Canyon Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:LOPE) have earned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the five research firms that are covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and three have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 1-year target price among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $161.6667.

A number of brokerages have issued reports on LOPE. Wall Street Zen cut Grand Canyon Education from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday, August 9th. 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. Truist Financial set a $100.00 price objective on shares of Grand Canyon Education in a report on Tuesday, June 9th. Barrington Research set a $200.00 price objective on shares of Grand Canyon Education in a report on Friday, July 31st. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lowered their target price on shares of Grand Canyon Education from $198.00 to $185.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, July 6th.

Grand Canyon Education Trading Up 2.6%

Shares of NASDAQ:LOPE opened at $150.64 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.22, a P/E/G ratio of 0.96 and a beta of 0.58. Grand Canyon Education has a 1-year low of $134.27 and a 1-year high of $223.04. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $148.05 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $155.11.

Grand Canyon Education (NASDAQ:LOPE) last issued 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. The company had revenue of $264.05 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $261.87 million. Grand Canyon Education had a net margin of 19.63% and a return on equity of 36.62%. 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 earned $1.53 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Grand Canyon Education will post 10.22 EPS for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Grand Canyon Education

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of LOPE. Engineers Gate Manager LP lifted its holdings in shares of Grand Canyon Education by 37.7% in the second quarter. Engineers Gate Manager LP now owns 46,565 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,664,000 after purchasing an additional 12,744 shares in the last quarter. Amundi raised its holdings in shares of Grand Canyon Education by 12.5% in the second quarter. Amundi now owns 94,133 shares of the company’s stock valued at $13,471,000 after purchasing an additional 10,441 shares during the last quarter. Crown Advisors Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Grand Canyon Education in the second quarter valued at approximately $5,009,000. VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al bought a new stake in Grand Canyon Education during the 2nd quarter worth about $1,628,000. Finally, William Blair Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in Grand Canyon Education during the 2nd quarter worth about $148,667,000. Institutional investors own 94.17% of the company’s stock.

About Grand Canyon Education

Grand Canyon Education, Inc is an education services company that provides technology, operational and support solutions to colleges and universities. Its services are designed to help partner institutions deliver traditional, online and hybrid academic programs while managing student recruitment, enrollment and ongoing support.

The company’s offerings include learning-management and information-technology systems, marketing and student outreach, academic counseling, finance and accounting support, faculty and curriculum services, and data analytics.