Loomis Sayles & Co. L P Has $45.54 Million Stock Position in Grand Canyon Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:LOPE)

Loomis Sayles & Co. L P lessened its position in Grand Canyon Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:LOPE) by 2.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 277,990 shares of the company’s stock after selling 8,124 shares during the period. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P’s holdings in Grand Canyon Education were worth $45,535,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of Grand Canyon Education in the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. True Wealth Design LLC bought a new position in shares of Grand Canyon Education in the third quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Financial Life Planners purchased a new position in shares of Grand Canyon Education during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd bought a new stake in Grand Canyon Education during the fourth quarter worth $59,000. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc raised its position in Grand Canyon Education by 66.0% in the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 420 shares of the company’s stock valued at $69,000 after buying an additional 167 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 94.17% of the company’s stock.

Grand Canyon Education Stock Performance

NASDAQ LOPE opened at $178.18 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $5.12 billion, a PE ratio of 23.02, a price-to-earnings-growth 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. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $175.66 and a 200 day simple moving average of $160.79.

Grand Canyon Education (NASDAQ:LOPE) last issued its quarterly 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. The company had revenue of $292.57 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $289.62 million. Grand Canyon Education had a net margin of 21.90% and a return on equity of 30.67%. As a group, analysts forecast that Grand Canyon Education, Inc. will post 8.81 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently issued reports on LOPE. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price 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. Barrington Research increased their price objective 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, February 20th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded Grand Canyon Education from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th.

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.