Grand Canyon Education (NASDAQ:LOPE) Given “Outperform” Rating at Barrington Research

Grand Canyon Education (NASDAQ:LOPE)‘s stock had its “outperform” rating reiterated by Barrington Research in a research report issued to clients and investors on Friday, Benzinga reports. They presently have a $165.00 target price on the stock. Barrington Research’s price objective points to a potential upside of 16.39% from the company’s previous close.

A number of other research analysts have also weighed in on the company. StockNews.com raised Grand Canyon Education from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday. BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on shares of Grand Canyon Education from $160.00 to $162.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 7th.

Grand Canyon Education Stock Performance

LOPE traded up $0.41 on Friday, hitting $141.76. 22,876 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 181,042. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $145.01 and its 200-day moving average is $140.04. Grand Canyon Education has a 12 month low of $112.38 and a 12 month high of $157.53. The company has a market cap of $4.22 billion, a PE ratio of 19.83, a PEG ratio of 1.16 and a beta of 0.69.

Grand Canyon Education (NASDAQ:LOPE) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 6th. The company reported $1.27 earnings per share (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 company had revenue of $227.50 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $223.56 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.01 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 8.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Grand Canyon Education will post 7.98 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Grand Canyon Education

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in LOPE. Wealth Alliance boosted its stake in Grand Canyon Education by 3.8% in the 2nd quarter. Wealth Alliance now owns 2,428 shares of the company’s stock valued at $340,000 after purchasing an additional 89 shares during the period. Intech Investment Management LLC lifted 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 worth $274,000 after buying an additional 96 shares in the last quarter. Capital Insight Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of Grand Canyon Education by 2.5% in the second quarter. Capital Insight Partners LLC now owns 4,229 shares of the company’s stock valued at $592,000 after acquiring an additional 105 shares during the period. Allegheny Financial Group LTD boosted its position in shares of Grand Canyon Education by 4.3% in the second quarter. Allegheny Financial Group LTD now owns 2,656 shares of the company’s stock valued at $372,000 after acquiring an additional 109 shares during the period. Finally, Riverwater Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of Grand Canyon Education by 0.9% in the first quarter. Riverwater Partners LLC now owns 12,716 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,732,000 after acquiring an additional 119 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 94.17% of the company’s stock.

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.