Grand Canyon Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:LOPE) Shares Purchased by Lazard Asset Management LLC

Lazard Asset Management LLC increased its position in shares of Grand Canyon Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:LOPE) by 38.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 15,731 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 4,396 shares during the quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC owned 0.05% of Grand Canyon Education worth $2,575,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of LOPE. Barclays PLC lifted its holdings in shares of Grand Canyon Education by 0.4% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 18,977 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,692,000 after purchasing an additional 84 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Grand Canyon Education by 1.5% during the fourth quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 4,225 shares of the company’s stock worth $692,000 after purchasing an additional 63 shares during the period. Park Avenue Securities LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Grand Canyon Education by 14.4% during the fourth quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 5,302 shares of the company’s stock worth $868,000 after purchasing an additional 666 shares during the period. Empirical Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Grand Canyon Education during the fourth quarter worth about $231,000. Finally, Avanza Fonder AB acquired a new stake in shares of Grand Canyon Education during the fourth quarter worth about $210,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.17% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have issued reports on LOPE. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on Grand Canyon Education from $181.00 to $202.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. StockNews.com downgraded Grand Canyon Education from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Finally, Barrington Research boosted their price target on Grand Canyon Education from $205.00 to $215.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 7th.

Grand Canyon Education Trading Up 0.9%

Shares of NASDAQ:LOPE opened at $197.44 on Friday. Grand Canyon Education, Inc. has a 12-month low of $130.69 and a 12-month high of $202.28. The company has a market capitalization of $5.60 billion, a PE ratio of 25.51, a PEG ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.80. The business has a 50 day moving average of $177.07 and a two-hundred day moving average of $171.45.

Grand Canyon Education (NASDAQ:LOPE) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The company reported $2.57 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.51 by $0.06. Grand Canyon Education had a return on equity of 30.67% and a net margin of 21.90%. The business had revenue of $289.31 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $287.18 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.35 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 5.3% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts predict that Grand Canyon Education, Inc. will post 8.81 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Grand Canyon Education Company Profile

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.