Grand Canyon Education (NASDAQ:LOPE) Hits New 1-Year Low – Should You Sell?

Grand Canyon Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:LOPE) reached a new 52-week low during trading on Monday . The company traded as low as $143.80 and last traded at $145.9340, with a volume of 51130 shares. The stock had previously closed at $147.49.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

LOPE has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Grand Canyon Education in a report on Friday, April 10th. BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Grand Canyon Education in a report on Thursday, June 4th. Barrington Research reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $230.00 price target on shares of Grand Canyon Education in a report on Thursday, April 16th. Finally, Truist Financial set a $100.00 price target on Grand Canyon Education in a report on Tuesday, June 9th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $180.00.

Grand Canyon Education Price Performance

The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $161.87 and a 200 day simple moving average of $164.43. The firm has a market cap of $3.80 billion, a PE ratio of 17.97, a PEG ratio of 0.98 and a beta of 0.56.

Grand Canyon Education (NASDAQ:LOPE) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $2.86 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.78 by $0.08. Grand Canyon Education had a return on equity of 34.72% and a net margin of 19.54%.The business had revenue of $308.76 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $307.75 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $2.57 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 6.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts forecast that Grand Canyon Education, Inc. will post 10.04 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of Grand Canyon Education

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Grand Canyon Education by 5.3% in the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 1,201 shares of the company’s stock worth $204,000 after buying an additional 60 shares in the last quarter. Leonteq Securities AG grew its holdings in Grand Canyon Education by 48.9% during the 1st quarter. Leonteq Securities AG now owns 195 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 64 shares in the last quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC grew its holdings in Grand Canyon Education by 70.7% during the 4th quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 157 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 65 shares in the last quarter. Orion Porfolio Solutions LLC grew its holdings in Grand Canyon Education by 1.0% during the 3rd quarter. Orion Porfolio Solutions LLC now owns 6,475 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,421,000 after buying an additional 65 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Twin Capital Management Inc. grew its holdings in Grand Canyon Education by 1.5% during the 1st quarter. Twin Capital Management Inc. now owns 4,632 shares of the company’s stock valued at $788,000 after buying an additional 67 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.17% of the company’s stock.

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.