Park Avenue Securities LLC Trims Holdings in Grand Canyon Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:LOPE)

Park Avenue Securities LLC decreased its holdings in Grand Canyon Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:LOPE) by 14.7% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 4,636 shares of the company’s stock after selling 797 shares during the period. Park Avenue Securities LLC’s holdings in Grand Canyon Education were worth $658,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of LOPE. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its stake in Grand Canyon Education by 14,150.0% in the second quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 285 shares of the company’s stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 283 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. increased its stake in Grand Canyon Education by 710.7% in the second quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 608 shares of the company’s stock worth $83,000 after purchasing an additional 533 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its stake in Grand Canyon Education by 46.1% in the second quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 640 shares of the company’s stock worth $90,000 after purchasing an additional 202 shares during the period. Quarry LP purchased a new stake in Grand Canyon Education in the second quarter worth $109,000. Finally, Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. purchased a new stake in Grand Canyon Education in the second quarter worth $131,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.17% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently commented on LOPE shares. StockNews.com lowered Grand Canyon Education from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday. BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on Grand Canyon Education from $160.00 to $162.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 7th. Finally, Barrington Research reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $165.00 target price on shares of Grand Canyon Education in a research note on Friday, September 20th.

Insider Activity at Grand Canyon Education

In related news, CTO Dilek Marsh sold 1,500 shares of Grand Canyon Education stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $141.23, for a total transaction of $211,845.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief technology officer now directly owns 22,674 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,202,249.02. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 2.00% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Grand Canyon Education Price Performance

LOPE opened at $131.89 on Friday. The business’s 50-day moving average is $142.09 and its two-hundred day moving average is $140.78. Grand Canyon Education, Inc. has a 1 year low of $112.38 and a 1 year high of $157.53. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.92 billion, a PE ratio of 18.45, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.21 and a beta of 0.69.

Grand Canyon Education (NASDAQ:LOPE) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, August 6th. The company reported $1.27 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.10 by $0.17. Grand Canyon Education had a return on equity of 31.49% and a net margin of 21.88%. The firm had revenue of $227.50 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $223.56 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.01 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 8.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Grand Canyon Education, Inc. will post 7.98 EPS for the current year.

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.