Grand Canyon Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:LOPE) Stake Lowered by Skylands Capital LLC

Skylands Capital LLC cut its stake in shares of Grand Canyon Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:LOPE) by 24.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 47,092 shares of the company’s stock after selling 15,135 shares during the quarter. Grand Canyon Education makes up 1.1% of Skylands Capital LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 26th largest holding. Skylands Capital LLC’s holdings in Grand Canyon Education were worth $7,714,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. bought a new position in Grand Canyon Education during the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Reston Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Grand Canyon Education during the 3rd quarter valued at $28,000. True Wealth Design LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Grand Canyon Education in the third quarter valued at $31,000. Financial Life Planners purchased a new stake in shares of Grand Canyon Education in the fourth quarter valued at $37,000. Finally, Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new stake in shares of Grand Canyon Education in the third quarter valued at $60,000. 94.17% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CTO Dilek Marsh sold 1,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $166.07, for a total value of $249,105.00. Following the transaction, the chief technology officer now owns 21,174 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,516,366.18. This represents a 6.62 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 2.00% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target 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. StockNews.com downgraded Grand Canyon Education from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Barrington Research increased their target price on shares of Grand Canyon Education from $180.00 to $205.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Robert W. Baird increased their target price on shares of Grand Canyon Education from $170.00 to $186.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 7th.

Grand Canyon Education Stock Performance

LOPE opened at $181.70 on Monday. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $171.04 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $155.79. Grand Canyon Education, Inc. has a 52 week low of $126.17 and a 52 week high of $192.18. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.22 billion, a PE ratio of 23.48, a P/E/G ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.74.

Grand Canyon Education (NASDAQ:LOPE) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 19th. The company reported $2.95 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.93 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $292.57 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $289.62 million. Grand Canyon Education had a net margin of 21.90% and a return on equity of 30.67%. Equities analysts forecast that Grand Canyon Education, Inc. will post 8.81 EPS for the current year.

Grand Canyon Education Company 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.