Raymond James Financial Inc. Purchases New Holdings in Grand Canyon Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:LOPE)

Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Grand Canyon Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:LOPE) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm purchased 62,648 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,262,000.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of LOPE. Victory Capital Management Inc. lifted its position in Grand Canyon Education by 2.2% during the 3rd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 10,075 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,429,000 after acquiring an additional 219 shares during the period. KBC Group NV increased its stake in Grand Canyon Education by 22.0% during the 3rd quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 944 shares of the company’s stock valued at $134,000 after purchasing an additional 170 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC increased its stake in Grand Canyon Education by 4.4% during the 3rd quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 10,041 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,424,000 after purchasing an additional 421 shares in the last quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Grand Canyon Education during the 3rd quarter valued at about $1,440,000. Finally, B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. Holding AG bought a new stake in Grand Canyon Education during the 3rd quarter valued at about $1,867,000. 94.17% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have weighed in on LOPE. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Grand Canyon Education from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. Barrington Research raised their price objective on shares of Grand Canyon Education from $180.00 to $205.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 20th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on shares of Grand Canyon Education from $181.00 to $202.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st.

Grand Canyon Education Stock Down 0.8 %

Shares of LOPE stock opened at $168.82 on Friday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $175.06 and a 200-day moving average price of $159.89. Grand Canyon Education, Inc. has a 52 week low of $126.17 and a 52 week high of $192.18. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.85 billion, a PE ratio of 21.81, a P/E/G ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.78.

Grand Canyon Education (NASDAQ:LOPE) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 19th. The company reported $2.95 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.93 by $0.02. Grand Canyon Education had a net margin of 21.90% and a return on equity of 30.67%. The firm had revenue of $292.57 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $289.62 million. Analysts anticipate that Grand Canyon Education, Inc. will post 8.81 earnings per share for the current year.

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.