Principal Financial Group Inc. Has $22.23 Million Holdings in Grand Canyon Education, Inc. $LOPE

Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its position in Grand Canyon Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:LOPE) by 7.6% during the third quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 101,278 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 7,167 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in Grand Canyon Education were worth $22,233,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC bought a new position in Grand Canyon Education during the third quarter worth $214,000. Riverwater Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of Grand Canyon Education by 1.6% during the 3rd quarter. Riverwater Partners LLC now owns 30,175 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,624,000 after purchasing an additional 465 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Grand Canyon Education by 26.2% in the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC now owns 7,663 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,683,000 after buying an additional 1,593 shares during the period. CIBC Asset Management Inc acquired a new stake in shares of Grand Canyon Education in the 3rd quarter valued at about $209,000. Finally, Covestor Ltd increased its position in Grand Canyon Education by 17.6% in the 3rd quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 920 shares of the company’s stock valued at $202,000 after buying an additional 138 shares in the last quarter. 94.17% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Grand Canyon Education Trading Up 1.1%

Shares of Grand Canyon Education stock opened at $169.72 on Friday. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $168.22 and its 200 day simple moving average is $185.01. Grand Canyon Education, Inc. has a 12 month low of $149.83 and a 12 month high of $223.04. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.75 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.87, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 0.74.

Grand Canyon Education (NASDAQ:LOPE) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, November 5th. The company reported $1.78 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $1.78. The firm had revenue of $261.14 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $259.97 million. Grand Canyon Education had a return on equity of 32.41% and a net margin of 19.38%.The business’s revenue was up 9.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.48 EPS. Analysts predict that Grand Canyon Education, Inc. will post 8.81 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on LOPE shares. Barrington Research reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $230.00 target price on shares of Grand Canyon Education in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Grand Canyon Education from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 13th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut shares of Grand Canyon Education from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, November 8th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Grand Canyon Education currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $220.00.

About Grand Canyon Education

Grand Canyon Education, Inc provides a suite of higher‐education services through a long-term agreement with Grand Canyon University (GCU), one of the nation’s largest private Christian universities. The company’s offerings encompass a full range of academic and operational support functions, including enrollment management, student recruitment, curriculum development, instructional delivery, and technology infrastructure. Through its online program management capabilities, Grand Canyon Education helps design, market and deliver undergraduate, graduate and certificate programs to meet the needs of both traditional and non‐traditional learners.

Core services include digital marketing, admissions support, student success coaching, learning management systems and faculty recruitment.