Barrington Research Reiterates “Outperform” Rating for Grand Canyon Education (NASDAQ:LOPE)

Grand Canyon Education (NASDAQ:LOPE)‘s stock had its “outperform” rating reissued by investment analysts at Barrington Research in a note issued to investors on Thursday, Benzinga reports. They presently have a $160.00 price objective on the stock. Barrington Research’s price target indicates a potential upside of 25.84% from the company’s previous close.

Grand Canyon Education Trading Down 3.0 %

LOPE opened at $127.15 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $3.82 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.70, a P/E/G ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 0.59. Grand Canyon Education has a 12 month low of $99.65 and a 12 month high of $144.94. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $132.70 and a 200 day moving average of $130.73.

Grand Canyon Education (NASDAQ:LOPE) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 13th. The company reported $2.77 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.72 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $278.28 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $275.00 million. Grand Canyon Education had a net margin of 21.33% and a return on equity of 31.75%. On average, research analysts forecast that Grand Canyon Education will post 7.65 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Grand Canyon Education

In other news, CTO Dilek Marsh sold 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $132.65, for a total value of $198,975.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief technology officer now owns 25,674 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,405,656.10. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 2.00% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Grand Canyon Education

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in LOPE. Cresset Asset Management LLC grew its position in Grand Canyon Education by 1.5% during the 4th quarter. Cresset Asset Management LLC now owns 5,242 shares of the company’s stock worth $692,000 after purchasing an additional 78 shares during the last quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina grew its stake in Grand Canyon Education by 0.4% during the third quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 19,049 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,226,000 after buying an additional 85 shares during the period. Wealth Alliance grew its stake in Grand Canyon Education by 3.9% during the fourth quarter. Wealth Alliance now owns 2,277 shares of the company’s stock worth $301,000 after buying an additional 85 shares during the period. Riverwater Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of Grand Canyon Education by 0.7% during the fourth quarter. Riverwater Partners LLC now owns 12,597 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,663,000 after purchasing an additional 89 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Park Place Capital Corp lifted its position in shares of Grand Canyon Education by 11.0% during the third quarter. Park Place Capital Corp now owns 947 shares of the company’s stock worth $111,000 after purchasing an additional 94 shares in the last quarter. 94.17% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.