Grand Canyon Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:LOPE) Shares Sold by Heartland Advisors Inc.

Heartland Advisors Inc. decreased its position in Grand Canyon Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:LOPE) by 5.1% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 57,098 shares of the company’s stock after selling 3,071 shares during the period. Heartland Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Grand Canyon Education were worth $9,353,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in LOPE. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC boosted its holdings in Grand Canyon Education by 1.5% during the fourth quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 4,225 shares of the company’s stock worth $692,000 after buying an additional 63 shares in the last quarter. DGS Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Grand Canyon Education by 1.5% during the 3rd quarter. DGS Capital Management LLC now owns 4,399 shares of the company’s stock worth $624,000 after purchasing an additional 67 shares in the last quarter. Barclays PLC grew its stake in shares of Grand Canyon Education by 0.4% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 18,977 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,692,000 after buying an additional 84 shares in the last quarter. MML Investors Services LLC increased its holdings in Grand Canyon Education by 1.6% in the third quarter. MML Investors Services LLC now owns 5,740 shares of the company’s stock worth $814,000 after buying an additional 91 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Xponance Inc. lifted its stake in Grand Canyon Education by 2.1% in the fourth quarter. Xponance Inc. now owns 4,634 shares of the company’s stock valued at $759,000 after acquiring an additional 95 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 94.17% of the company’s stock.

Grand Canyon Education Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:LOPE opened at $178.18 on Friday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $175.66 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $160.79. The company has a market capitalization of $5.12 billion, a PE ratio of 23.02, a PEG ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.78. Grand Canyon Education, Inc. has a 52 week low of $126.17 and a 52 week high of $192.18.

Grand Canyon Education (NASDAQ:LOPE) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 19th. The company reported $2.95 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.93 by $0.02. Grand Canyon Education had a return on equity of 30.67% and a net margin of 21.90%. The business had revenue of $292.57 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $289.62 million. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Grand Canyon Education, Inc. will post 8.81 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently weighed in on LOPE. StockNews.com upgraded Grand Canyon Education from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. Barrington Research upped their price target on Grand Canyon Education from $180.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, February 20th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on shares of Grand Canyon Education from $181.00 to $202.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st.

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.