Stifel Financial Corp Cuts Stake in Grand Canyon Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:LOPE)

Stifel Financial Corp decreased its stake in Grand Canyon Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:LOPE) by 2.0% in the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 33,332 shares of the company’s stock after selling 663 shares during the quarter. Stifel Financial Corp’s holdings in Grand Canyon Education were worth $4,728,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Reston Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Grand Canyon Education in the third quarter worth about $28,000. True Wealth Design LLC purchased a new stake in Grand Canyon Education during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $31,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new position in shares of Grand Canyon Education in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $60,000. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Grand Canyon Education by 710.7% during the 2nd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 608 shares of the company’s stock valued at $83,000 after buying an additional 533 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Quarry LP purchased a new position in shares of Grand Canyon Education during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $109,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.17% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently issued reports on LOPE shares. StockNews.com lowered shares of Grand Canyon Education from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Robert W. Baird boosted their target price on shares of Grand Canyon Education from $170.00 to $186.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 7th. Barrington Research increased their price target on shares of Grand Canyon Education from $165.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 7th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on Grand Canyon Education from $152.00 to $173.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, November 7th.

Grand Canyon Education Price Performance

Grand Canyon Education stock opened at $166.79 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $4.86 billion, a PE ratio of 21.92, a P/E/G ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 0.76. Grand Canyon Education, Inc. has a 12 month low of $118.48 and a 12 month high of $173.37. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $152.28 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $146.21.

Grand Canyon Education (NASDAQ:LOPE) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 6th. The company reported $1.48 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.47 by $0.01. Grand Canyon Education had a net margin of 22.09% and a return on equity of 31.01%. The business had revenue of $238.30 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $239.69 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.26 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 7.4% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts anticipate that Grand Canyon Education, Inc. will post 8.03 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Grand Canyon Education

In other Grand Canyon Education news, CTO Dilek Marsh sold 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $141.23, for a total value of $211,845.00. Following the sale, the chief technology officer now directly owns 22,674 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,202,249.02. This trade represents a 6.21 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 2.00% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.