Wasatch Advisors LP Purchases 39,743 Shares of Grand Canyon Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:LOPE)

Wasatch Advisors LP raised its stake in shares of Grand Canyon Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:LOPE) by 9.4% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 463,083 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 39,743 shares during the period. Wasatch Advisors LP owned 1.54% of Grand Canyon Education worth $63,077,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of LOPE. GAMMA Investing LLC bought a new position in Grand Canyon Education during the 4th quarter worth $54,000. Blue Trust Inc. grew its holdings in Grand Canyon Education by 120.2% during the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 425 shares of the company’s stock worth $56,000 after acquiring an additional 232 shares during the period. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. grew its holdings in Grand Canyon Education by 208.6% during the 4th quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 429 shares of the company’s stock worth $57,000 after acquiring an additional 290 shares during the period. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. grew its holdings in Grand Canyon Education by 41.2% during the 4th quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 497 shares of the company’s stock worth $66,000 after acquiring an additional 145 shares during the period. Finally, Headlands Technologies LLC acquired a new stake in Grand Canyon Education during the 4th quarter worth about $101,000. 94.17% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Grand Canyon Education

In other Grand Canyon Education news, Director Lisa Graham Keegan sold 270 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $147.96, for a total transaction of $39,949.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 2,635 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $389,874.60. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In related news, Director Lisa Graham Keegan sold 270 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $147.96, for a total transaction of $39,949.20. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 2,635 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $389,874.60. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Kathy J. Claypatch sold 1,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 owns 8,320 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,241,344. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 2.00% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Grand Canyon Education Price Performance

Shares of LOPE stock opened at $141.13 on Wednesday. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $140.12 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $134.67. Grand Canyon Education, Inc. has a 1 year low of $101.04 and a 1 year high of $156.56. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.74, a PEG ratio of 1.20 and a beta of 0.66.

Grand Canyon Education (NASDAQ:LOPE) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, May 7th. The company reported $2.35 EPS 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 business had revenue of $274.68 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $272.42 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.00 earnings per share. The firm’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.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently commented on LOPE shares. Robert W. Baird raised their target price on Grand Canyon Education from $165.00 to $170.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 8th. BMO Capital Markets raised 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 raised 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.