Grand Canyon Education (NASDAQ:LOPE) Releases FY 2026 Earnings Guidance

Grand Canyon Education (NASDAQ:LOPE) issued an update on its FY 2026 earnings guidance on Wednesday morning. The company provided earnings per share (EPS) guidance of 9.550-10.160 for the period, compared to the consensus estimate of 10.000. The company issued revenue guidance of -. Grand Canyon Education also updated its Q1 2026 guidance to 2.700-2.730 EPS.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

Grand Canyon Education Trading Up 3.4%

LOPE traded up $5.44 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $167.79. 470,608 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 291,475. Grand Canyon Education has a 1 year low of $149.83 and a 1 year high of $223.04. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $169.35 and a 200 day moving average price of $184.81. The firm has a market cap of $4.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.61, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.06 and a beta of 0.74.

Grand Canyon Education (NASDAQ:LOPE) last issued 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 business had revenue of $308.12 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $307.92 million. Analysts forecast that Grand Canyon Education will post 8.81 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Grand Canyon Education News Roundup

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

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Toronto Dominion Bank bought a new stake in shares of Grand Canyon Education in the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Employees Retirement System of Texas acquired a new position in Grand Canyon Education in the third quarter worth about $48,000. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. increased its holdings in Grand Canyon Education by 24.8% in the second quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 412 shares of the company’s stock valued at $78,000 after buying an additional 82 shares during the last quarter. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd acquired a new stake in Grand Canyon Education during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $115,000. Finally, Group One Trading LLC bought a new position in Grand Canyon Education during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $133,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.17% of the company’s stock.

Grand Canyon Education Company Profile

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.