DGS Capital Management LLC Increases Stock Position in Grand Canyon Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:LOPE)

DGS Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Grand Canyon Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:LOPE) by 41.7% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 4,170 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,228 shares during the quarter. DGS Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Grand Canyon Education were worth $568,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Grand Canyon Education by 11.2% during the first quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC now owns 456,839 shares of the company’s stock worth $62,226,000 after purchasing an additional 46,024 shares during the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Grand Canyon Education by 1.3% during the 3rd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 384,020 shares of the company’s stock worth $44,884,000 after buying an additional 4,909 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Grand Canyon Education during the 4th quarter worth $44,529,000. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Grand Canyon Education by 105.5% in the 4th quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 333,028 shares of the company’s stock worth $43,973,000 after buying an additional 170,956 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in Grand Canyon Education by 3.7% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 321,924 shares of the company’s stock valued at $42,507,000 after acquiring an additional 11,567 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.17% of the company’s stock.

Grand Canyon Education Stock Performance

LOPE stock opened at $134.66 on Friday. Grand Canyon Education, Inc. has a 1 year low of $100.23 and a 1 year high of $156.56. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $139.36 and its 200 day moving average price is $134.74. The firm has a market cap of $4.00 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.83, a PEG ratio of 1.16 and a beta of 0.64.

Grand Canyon Education (NASDAQ:LOPE) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 7th. The company reported $2.35 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 analyst estimates of $272.42 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.00 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts predict that Grand Canyon Education, Inc. will post 7.8 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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 transaction of $223,800.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 8,320 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,241,344. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In other news, insider Kathy J. Claypatch sold 1,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $149.20, for a total transaction of $223,800.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 8,320 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,241,344. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Lisa Graham Keegan sold 270 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, May 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $147.96, for a total value of $39,949.20. Following the completion of the transaction, 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. Corporate insiders own 2.00% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

About Grand Canyon Education

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.