Dark Forest Capital Management LP Acquires Shares of 2,773 Grand Canyon Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:LOPE)

Dark Forest Capital Management LP acquired a new stake in Grand Canyon Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:LOPE) during the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm acquired 2,773 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $388,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in Grand Canyon Education by 0.8% in the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 3,005,381 shares of the company’s stock valued at $409,363,000 after acquiring an additional 24,871 shares during the last quarter. Burgundy Asset Management Ltd. boosted its stake in Grand Canyon Education by 1.3% in the second quarter. Burgundy Asset Management Ltd. now owns 850,343 shares of the company’s stock valued at $118,971,000 after acquiring an additional 11,179 shares during the last quarter. Van Berkom & Associates Inc. boosted its stake in Grand Canyon Education by 1.5% in the second quarter. Van Berkom & Associates Inc. now owns 756,971 shares of the company’s stock valued at $105,908,000 after acquiring an additional 11,540 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its stake in Grand Canyon Education by 1.8% in the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 716,229 shares of the company’s stock valued at $100,197,000 after acquiring an additional 12,509 shares during the last quarter. Finally, AQR Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Grand Canyon Education by 47.7% in the second quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 538,532 shares of the company’s stock worth $74,452,000 after purchasing an additional 173,800 shares during the period. 94.17% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Grand Canyon Education Stock Down 0.2 %

Shares of NASDAQ:LOPE opened at $142.34 on Friday. Grand Canyon Education, Inc. has a 12 month low of $112.38 and a 12 month high of $157.53. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $144.37 and its 200 day simple moving average is $140.42. The firm has a market cap of $4.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.91, a PEG ratio of 1.21 and a beta of 0.69.

Grand Canyon Education (NASDAQ:LOPE) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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 net margin of 21.88% and a return on equity of 31.49%. The business had revenue of $227.50 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $223.56 million. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.01 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 8.0% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts expect that Grand Canyon Education, Inc. will post 7.98 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CTO Dilek Marsh sold 1,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $141.23, for a total transaction of $211,845.00. Following the sale, the chief technology officer now directly owns 22,674 shares in the company, valued at $3,202,249.02. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 2.00% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

LOPE has been the topic of several analyst reports. BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on shares of Grand Canyon Education from $160.00 to $162.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 7th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Grand Canyon Education from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 17th. Finally, Barrington Research reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $165.00 target price on shares of Grand Canyon Education in a report on Friday, September 20th.

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.