Grand Canyon Education (NASDAQ:LOPE) Updates Q3 2026 Earnings Guidance

Grand Canyon Education (NASDAQ:LOPE) issued an update on its third quarter 2026 earnings guidance on Wednesday morning. The company provided earnings per share guidance of 1.720-1.910 for the period. The company issued revenue guidance of -. Grand Canyon Education also updated its FY 2026 guidance to 9.550-10.160 EPS.

Grand Canyon Education Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ LOPE traded up $5.44 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $167.79. 470,608 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 291,482. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $169.35 and its 200-day simple moving average is $184.81. The company has a market cap of $4.69 billion, a PE ratio of 22.61, a P/E/G ratio of 1.06 and a beta of 0.74. Grand Canyon Education has a twelve month low of $149.83 and a twelve month high of $223.04.

Grand Canyon Education (NASDAQ:LOPE) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 18th. The company reported $3.21 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.19 by $0.02. Grand Canyon Education had a net margin of 19.38% and a return on equity of 32.41%. The firm had revenue of $308.12 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $307.92 million. Equities analysts anticipate that Grand Canyon Education will post 8.81 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

More Grand Canyon Education News

Here are the key news stories impacting Grand Canyon Education this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 reported EPS slightly beat expectations: GCE reported quarterly EPS of $3.21, narrowly topping consensus and showing year‑over‑year EPS growth — a clear near‑term earnings beat that supports the share price. Press Release
• Neutral Sentiment: Full‑year FY2026 EPS guidance provided as a range of 9.550–10.160, which roughly brackets consensus (10.00) — the range leaves room for upside but also contains downside risk depending on execution. (Guidance announced 2/18)
• Neutral Sentiment: Q4 2026 EPS guidance set at 3.570–3.850, giving investors a clear Q4 target but without a published street consensus in these releases. (Guidance announced 2/18)
• Negative Sentiment: Q1 2026 guidance materially below consensus: management guided Q1 EPS to 2.700–2.730 vs. consensus ~3.19 — a significant near‑term shortfall that typically pressures the stock. (Guidance announced 2/18)
• Negative Sentiment: Q2 2026 guidance also well below consensus: guidance 1.560–1.680 vs. consensus ~2.75, signaling front‑loaded weakness early in FY2026 and raising concern about near‑term revenue/earnings cadence. (Guidance announced 2/18)
• Neutral Sentiment: Q3 2026 guidance provided at 1.720–1.910; no consensus included in the release, so investors will watch how this quarter stacks up to expectations. (Guidance announced 2/18)
• Negative Sentiment: Balance‑sheet / cash note from third‑party reporting: one data provider flagged a large drop in cash & equivalents YoY and highlighted that some third‑party numbers showed revenue/EPS slightly missing certain estimates — this raises some caution around liquidity and data reconciliation. Quiver Article

Institutional Trading of Grand Canyon Education

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. NewEdge Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Grand Canyon Education by 4,339.5% during the 1st quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 1,909 shares of the company’s stock worth $330,000 after acquiring an additional 1,866 shares in the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. raised its holdings in Grand Canyon Education by 14.9% during the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 115,508 shares of the company’s stock worth $19,985,000 after purchasing an additional 15,019 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC raised its holdings in Grand Canyon Education by 2.1% during the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 7,925 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,371,000 after purchasing an additional 161 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC boosted its position in Grand Canyon Education by 7.3% during the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 123,214 shares of the company’s stock worth $21,318,000 after purchasing an additional 8,421 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Jane Street Group LLC grew its holdings in Grand Canyon Education by 156.9% in the first quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 37,350 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,462,000 after purchasing an additional 22,812 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.17% of the company’s stock.

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.