Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA Lowers Position in Grand Canyon Education, Inc. $LOPE

Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA cut its stake in Grand Canyon Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:LOPE) by 17.8% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 232,778 shares of the company’s stock after selling 50,550 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA’s holdings in Grand Canyon Education were worth $38,713,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Grand Canyon Education by 7.6% in the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 101,278 shares of the company’s stock worth $22,233,000 after buying an additional 7,167 shares during the period. Van Berkom & Associates Inc. lifted its position in Grand Canyon Education by 3.0% during the third quarter. Van Berkom & Associates Inc. now owns 523,305 shares of the company’s stock valued at $114,876,000 after buying an additional 15,235 shares during the period. Allianz Asset Management GmbH lifted its position in Grand Canyon Education by 3.3% during the third quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 405,506 shares of the company’s stock valued at $89,017,000 after buying an additional 12,834 shares during the period. Azzad Asset Management Inc. ADV purchased a new position in Grand Canyon Education during the third quarter valued at $2,030,000. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. lifted its position in Grand Canyon Education by 180.2% during the third quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 175,966 shares of the company’s stock valued at $38,628,000 after buying an additional 113,176 shares during the period. 94.17% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the stock. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Grand Canyon Education in a research note on Friday. Barrington Research reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $230.00 target price on shares of Grand Canyon Education in a report on Thursday, February 19th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Grand Canyon Education has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $220.00.

Grand Canyon Education Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ LOPE opened at $168.70 on Wednesday. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $165.01 and its 200-day moving average price is $174.47. Grand Canyon Education, Inc. has a 52-week low of $149.37 and a 52-week high of $223.04. The company has a market cap of $4.58 billion, a PE ratio of 21.85, a P/E/G ratio of 1.09 and a beta of 0.67.

Grand Canyon Education (NASDAQ:LOPE) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 18th. The company reported $3.21 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.19 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $308.12 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $307.92 million. Grand Canyon Education had a return on equity of 33.28% and a net margin of 19.54%.The company’s revenue was up 5.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted $2.95 EPS. On average, analysts forecast 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 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.