Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA Has $60.43 Million Stock Holdings in Grand Canyon Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:LOPE)

Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA reduced its stake in Grand Canyon Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:LOPE) by 4.2% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 368,920 shares of the company’s stock after selling 16,300 shares during the quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA’s holdings in Grand Canyon Education were worth $60,429,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the stock. Counterpoint Mutual Funds LLC bought a new stake in Grand Canyon Education in the fourth quarter valued at $421,000. Sanctuary Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Grand Canyon Education by 9.2% in the 3rd quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 2,483 shares of the company’s stock worth $352,000 after purchasing an additional 209 shares during the last quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Grand Canyon Education during the 4th quarter worth about $255,000. Postrock Partners LLC bought a new position in Grand Canyon Education during the 4th quarter valued at about $1,715,000. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its position in Grand Canyon Education by 10.7% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 37,523 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,014,000 after buying an additional 3,630 shares in the last quarter. 94.17% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Grand Canyon Education Stock Down 4.5 %

NASDAQ:LOPE opened at $167.21 on Friday. Grand Canyon Education, Inc. has a 12-month low of $126.17 and a 12-month high of $192.18. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $176.11 and its 200-day simple moving average is $162.37. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.60, a P/E/G ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.82.

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently issued reports 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 lifted their price objective on Grand Canyon Education from $180.00 to $205.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 20th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on Grand Canyon Education from $181.00 to $202.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st.

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.