BTC Capital Management Inc. Purchases New Shares in Grand Canyon Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:LOPE)

BTC Capital Management Inc. bought a new position in Grand Canyon Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:LOPE) in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm bought 2,883 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $393,000.

A number of other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of LOPE. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina increased its holdings in shares of Grand Canyon Education by 0.4% during the third quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 19,049 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,226,000 after acquiring an additional 85 shares in the last quarter. Wealth Alliance raised its holdings in Grand Canyon Education by 3.9% in the fourth quarter. Wealth Alliance now owns 2,277 shares of the company’s stock worth $301,000 after buying an additional 85 shares during the last quarter. Riverwater Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of Grand Canyon Education by 0.7% in the fourth quarter. Riverwater Partners LLC now owns 12,597 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,663,000 after buying an additional 89 shares in the last quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Grand Canyon Education by 4.8% during the fourth quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 2,078 shares of the company’s stock valued at $274,000 after buying an additional 96 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Covestor Ltd grew its holdings in shares of Grand Canyon Education by 14.0% during the third quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 1,181 shares of the company’s stock valued at $138,000 after buying an additional 145 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 94.17% of the company’s stock.

Grand Canyon Education Price Performance

NASDAQ LOPE opened at $135.57 on Friday. Grand Canyon Education, Inc. has a 1-year low of $99.65 and a 1-year high of $156.56. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.96, a PEG ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 0.64. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $138.95 and its 200-day moving average price is $134.81.

Grand Canyon Education (NASDAQ:LOPE) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, May 7th. The company reported $2.35 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.22 by $0.13. Grand Canyon Education had a return on equity of 31.81% and a net margin of 21.66%. The company had revenue of $274.68 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $272.42 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.00 earnings per share. Grand Canyon Education’s revenue was up 9.8% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts anticipate that Grand Canyon Education, Inc. will post 7.8 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Lisa Graham Keegan sold 270 shares of Grand Canyon Education stock in a transaction on Monday, May 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $147.96, for a total transaction of $39,949.20. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 2,635 shares in the company, valued at $389,874.60. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In other Grand Canyon Education news, insider Kathy J. Claypatch sold 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, May 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $149.20, for a total value of $223,800.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 8,320 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,241,344. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director Lisa Graham Keegan sold 270 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $147.96, for a total value of $39,949.20. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 2,635 shares in the company, valued at $389,874.60. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 2.00% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently issued reports on LOPE. Barrington Research upped their price objective on Grand Canyon Education from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 8th. Robert W. Baird boosted their price target on Grand Canyon Education from $165.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 8th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on Grand Canyon Education from $155.00 to $160.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 28th.

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.