Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB Makes New $86,000 Investment in Grand Canyon Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:LOPE)

Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new stake in Grand Canyon Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:LOPE) during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor acquired 605 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $86,000.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of LOPE. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC acquired a new position in shares of Grand Canyon Education in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $437,000. Raymond James & Associates raised its position in Grand Canyon Education by 0.5% in the 2nd quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 60,258 shares of the company’s stock valued at $8,431,000 after purchasing an additional 287 shares during the last quarter. Calamos Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Grand Canyon Education in the second quarter worth $225,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its holdings in shares of Grand Canyon Education by 2.4% during the second quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 285,223 shares of the company’s stock worth $39,906,000 after purchasing an additional 6,783 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC increased its stake in shares of Grand Canyon Education by 89.7% in the second quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 173,075 shares of the company’s stock valued at $24,215,000 after buying an additional 81,853 shares in the last quarter. 94.17% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have weighed in on LOPE. Barrington Research boosted their target price on shares of Grand Canyon Education from $165.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 7th. Robert W. Baird boosted their price objective on shares of Grand Canyon Education from $170.00 to $186.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 7th. StockNews.com lowered Grand Canyon Education from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on Grand Canyon Education from $152.00 to $173.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 7th.

Grand Canyon Education Price Performance

Shares of Grand Canyon Education stock opened at $160.31 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $4.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.07, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 0.76. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $155.22 and its 200-day moving average is $146.89. Grand Canyon Education, Inc. has a one year low of $118.48 and a one year high of $173.37.

Grand Canyon Education (NASDAQ:LOPE) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, November 6th. The company reported $1.48 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.47 by $0.01. Grand Canyon Education had a net margin of 22.09% and a return on equity of 31.01%. The business had revenue of $238.30 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $239.69 million. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.26 EPS. Grand Canyon Education’s revenue was up 7.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts expect that Grand Canyon Education, Inc. will post 8.03 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Grand Canyon Education

In related news, CTO Dilek Marsh sold 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $166.07, for a total transaction of $249,105.00. Following the sale, the chief technology officer now owns 21,174 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,516,366.18. This trade represents a 6.62 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 2.00% of the company’s stock.

Grand Canyon Education 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.