Grand Canyon Education (NASDAQ:LOPE) Releases Q1 2026 Earnings Guidance

Grand Canyon Education (NASDAQ:LOPE) issued an update on its first quarter 2026 earnings guidance on Wednesday morning. The company provided earnings per share guidance of 2.700-2.730 for the period, compared to the consensus earnings per share estimate of 3.190. The company issued revenue guidance of -. Grand Canyon Education also updated its FY 2026 guidance to 9.550-10.160 EPS.

Grand Canyon Education Trading Down 4.6%

Shares of LOPE traded down $7.70 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $160.09. The stock had a trading volume of 141,981 shares, compared to its average volume of 286,591. Grand Canyon Education has a one year low of $149.83 and a one year high of $223.04. The firm has a market cap of $4.48 billion, a PE ratio of 21.48, a P/E/G ratio of 1.07 and a beta of 0.74. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $169.59 and a 200-day simple moving average of $184.69.

Grand Canyon Education (NASDAQ:LOPE) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 18th. The company reported $3.21 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.19 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $308.12 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $307.92 million. Grand Canyon Education had a net margin of 19.38% and a return on equity of 32.41%. Grand Canyon Education’s quarterly revenue was up 5.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.95 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts forecast that Grand Canyon Education will post 8.81 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

Grand Canyon Education News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 showed organic growth — revenue and EPS rose year‑over‑year and management highlighted strong enrollment trends, supporting the company’s underlying demand picture. Earnings Highlights
• Positive Sentiment: On a GAAP basis the quarter produced solid profitability metrics (healthy net margin and ROE) and operating cash flow remained positive — signaling continued core business profitability. Press Release
• Neutral Sentiment: Company released the full earnings call transcript and supporting detail — useful for investors who want management commentary on enrollment, margins, and investment plans. Earnings Call Transcript
• Neutral Sentiment: Different outlets show minor variance in reported beats/misses (some note tiny EPS beat, others show slight miss vs certain third‑party estimates) — indicates the quarter was mixed and interpretation varies by data source. Earnings In Line Coverage
• Negative Sentiment: Near‑term guidance disappointed: Q1 2026 EPS was guided to a range well below consensus (2.70–2.73 vs ~3.19 expected) and Q2 guidance (1.56–1.68 vs ~2.75 consensus) was also materially lower — a clear short‑term earnings headwind and primary reason for the stock pullback. (Guidance update summary)
• Negative Sentiment: Full‑year 2026 EPS range (9.55–10.16) sits slightly below Street expectations (~10.00), increasing uncertainty around FY26 growth and margin trajectory. (Guidance update summary)
• Negative Sentiment: Balance sheet / cash items flagged: reported cash and equivalents declined materially year‑over‑year in some filings and operating cash flow was modestly down — investors may view this as added risk while management executes the plan. Financial Detail

Institutional Trading of Grand Canyon Education

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in LOPE. Toronto Dominion Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Grand Canyon Education during the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Employees Retirement System of Texas acquired a new position in shares of Grand Canyon Education during the 3rd quarter valued at $48,000. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. boosted its holdings in Grand Canyon Education by 24.8% in the 2nd quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 412 shares of the company’s stock worth $78,000 after acquiring an additional 82 shares during the period. Group One Trading LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Grand Canyon Education during the third quarter worth about $133,000. Finally, Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Grand Canyon Education in the 4th quarter worth about $115,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.