Stock fact sheet · data as of
Grand Canyon Education, Inc. (LOPE): fair value, margin of safety and Wheel Score
Ticker symbol LOPE · Consumer Defensive · Education & Training Services · United States · Blend
Is LOPE undervalued?
Grand Canyon Education, Inc. (LOPE) closed at 150.67 on 5 Nov 2026. The GLS average fair value - the simple average of the 8 valuation models that produced a positive number - is 184.53, so the price sits 18% below it. 5 of the 8 models value the shares above the current price. A margin of safety between 10% and 30% is where most of the Sunday Scan candidates come from.
The 8 models disagree widely: Graham Number gives 73.94 while Payback Time gives 272.57. A spread that wide means the average is sensitive to which methods you trust; the model table below shows where each one lands, and the Quote page lets you switch any of them off.
Ranked against every other company we cover, neither cheapness nor growth clearly wins for LOPE, so the nightly engine files it under Blend (value score 37, growth score 50, out of 100).
Nine valuation models for LOPE
Each model turns the latest filed numbers into a value per share; the GLS fair value is the simple average of the ones that produce a positive number. The last two rows are shown for reference and never enter the average. The Quote page lets you switch any model off and add your own margin of safety.
| Model | Value | vs price | What it measures |
|---|---|---|---|
| DCF | 226.70 | +50% | Present value of the projected free cash flows, discounted at the cost of capital |
| Graham Number | 73.94 | -51% | The most a defensive investor pays for the earnings and book value per share |
| Graham Growth | 271.37 | +80% | Graham's growth formula: EPS × (8.5 + 2 × growth), adjusted for bond yields |
| Lynch | 97.27 | -35% | EPS × the earnings growth rate (PEG of 1), growth capped at 25% |
| GLS Growth | 153.55 | +2% | EPS compounded ten years at the blended growth rate, discounted back at 15% a year |
| 10 Cap | 272.34 | +81% | Owner's earnings (operating cash flow less maintenance capex) capitalised at 10% |
| Payback Time | 272.57 | +81% | Eight years of compounded free cash flow: the price at which the business pays for itself |
| DDM | - | - | Dividend discount model: next year's dividend ÷ (10% − 3% growth); needs a dividend; no value tonight |
| EPV | 108.50 | -28% | Earnings power value: current EPS capitalised at 9% with no growth |
| Zombie (liquidation) | 5.94 | -96% | Current assets less all liabilities, per share: the balance-sheet floor. Not in the average |
| Wall St target | 160.67 | +7% | Analysts' average 12-month price target. Not in the average |
Quality and financial health
Financial health is average - LOPE passes 5 of the nine Piotroski tests, which falls one point short of the "Piotroski 6 or more" Wheel Trade Filter. The Financials tab on the Quote page shows which tests fail. The GLS Moat score is 8.4 out of 10 - high returns on capital, steady margins and growth that held up through bad years point to a durable business.
Returns on capital are high - ROIC 22.8%, ROE 28.9%, ROA 21.8% - with debt at 0.27 times equity and a free-cash-flow yield of 6.7%.
Grand Canyon Education, Inc. pays no dividend, so the DDM model does not apply and a covered-call holder earns only the premium and any price gain. Revenue comes mainly from Service 100% (quarter Q4 FY2020).
Institutional ownership scores 10/10, insider activity 1/10 and Congressional trading 5/10 on the GLS smart-money scales.
| Piotroski F-score | 5 / 9 | ROIC | 22.8% |
|---|---|---|---|
| GLS Moat | 8.4 / 10 | ROE | 28.9% |
| Debt / equity | 0.27 | ROA | 21.8% |
| Free-cash-flow yield | 6.7% | Payout ratio | 0% |
| Institutions | 10 / 10 | Insiders · Congress | 1 · 5 / 10 |
Wheel Score 48: Weak
LOPE scores 48 out of 100 on the Wheel Score, in the Weak band (under 50): it fails filter 1, options that actually trade - options too quiet (850 open interest, 228 a day); and filter 4, financially healthy - Piotroski 5/9 (under 6), and the parts are thin too - value good, premium strong, moat strong, health fair, red flags strong, option trading weak, stability fair. The score is not a judgement on the company; it says the price, quality and premium do not line up for selling puts on it today.
Implied volatility is 40% on the near-the-money contracts 20-60 days out - inside the 35-60% sweet spot the Wheel Score rewards most: enough premium to be worth selling, not so much that the risk is unpaid. Chain open interest is thin - 850 contracts across every expiry - so fills at a fair price are not guaranteed; a 30-45-day put may not exist at a usable strike.
Volume runs at 448k shares a day on a market cap of $3.9B, with a beta of 0.58 - a low beta, so day-to-day moves are smaller than the market's; the Stability part of the Wheel Score rates that fair.
| Filter | Wheel Trade Filter | Result | Detail |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Options that actually trade | Fails | options too quiet (850 open interest, 228 a day) |
| 2 | A real business, not a gamble | Passes | Profitable over the last twelve months - not a speculative stock, fund or note |
| 3 | Below fair value | Passes | Trading below the nine-model average fair value (margin of safety above 0) |
| 4 | Financially healthy | Fails | Piotroski 5/9 (under 6) |
| 5 | Can repay its debt | Passes | Long-term debt repaid from 3 years of operating cash flow or less (6 for real estate and utilities; banks and insurers are not judged on it) |
| 6 | No serious red flags | Passes | Red Flags score 60 or more out of 100 (earnings, margins, debt, analysts, filings and price checked the same way for every stock) |
| 7 | A premium worth selling | Passes | Implied volatility 25-80% (enough premium, not a lottery ticket) |
| 8 | Big enough | Passes | Market cap $1 billion or more |
| 9 | Not a penny stock | Passes | Share price $5 or more |
| How it ranks | Rating | From | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Value | Good | 18% below fair value | |
| Premium | Strong | implied volatility 40% | |
| Moat | Strong | moat 8.4/10 | |
| Health | Fair | Piotroski 5/9 | |
| Red Flags | Strong | Red Flags score 100/100 | |
| Option trading | Weak | 228 contracts a day, 850 open interest | |
| Stability | Fair | beta 0.58, $3.9B company |
The Wheel Score ranks ~7,400 US stocks for selling cash-secured puts and covered calls: a stock must pass all 9 Wheel Trade Filters to score 70, and the score then ranks the ones that pass; the Sunday Scan is the top 10. It is updated nightly and is not a recommendation. How the Wheel Score works · the walkthrough lesson shows how it fits into a trade, start to finish.
Upcoming events
No upcoming earnings date is recorded for LOPE in the nightly calendar.
Earnings, dividend, IPO, split and economic calendars for the whole market, filterable to your watchlists.
Similar stocks in Education & Training Services
The 12 companies below are the closest to Grand Canyon Education, Inc. by market cap within the Education & Training Services industry, each with its own fact sheet; the Compare page puts up to eight of them side by side.
| Stock | Close | Fair value | MoS | Wheel | Mkt cap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CVSA Covista Inc. | 124.19 | 234.64 | +47% | 83Good | $4.1B |
| LRN Stride, Inc. | 79.24 | 258.10 | +69% | 80Good | $3.3B |
| LAUR Laureate Education, Inc. | 35.15 | 64.86 | +46% | 81Good | $4.8B |
| TAL TAL Education Group | 9.91 | 99.71 | +90% | 81Good | $6.0B |
| DAO Youdao, Inc. | 20.69 | 13.26 | -56% | 26Weak | $2.5B |
| MH McGraw Hill, Inc. | 12.76 | 28.27 | +55% | 46Weak | $2.4B |
| EDU New Oriental Education & Technology Group Inc. | 52.07 | 87.05 | +40% | 82Good | $8.1B |
| PRDO Perdoceo Education Corporation | 29.99 | 48.76 | +38% | 53Fair | $1.9B |
| STRA Strategic Education, Inc. | 74.32 | 182.52 | +59% | 49Weak | $1.7B |
| UTI Universal Technical Institute, Inc. | 22.33 | 18.50 | -21% | 32Weak | $1.2B |
| COUR Coursera, Inc. | 3.90 | 8.81 | +56% | 42Weak | $1.0B |
| AFYA Afya Limited | 10.50 | 35.73 | +71% | 39Weak | $960M |
⚖ Compare LOPE with 7 of them All Consumer Defensive stocks →
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Start free See the Sunday ScanQuestions about LOPE
Is LOPE undervalued right now?
By the GLS models, moderately: at 150.67 the stock trades 18% below the average fair value of 184.53 (data as of 5 Nov 2026).
What is the Wheel Score of LOPE and what does it mean?
LOPE scores 48 out of 100 (Weak) - it fails Wheel Trade Filters 1, 4. The Wheel Score ranks stocks for the wheel strategy - selling cash-secured puts, then covered calls if assigned - in two parts: the 9 pass/fail Wheel Trade Filters (busy options, a real business, below fair value, Piotroski 6 or more, debt it can repay, a Red Flags score of 60 or more, implied volatility of 25-80%, a $1 billion company, $5 a share) and a ranking of how strongly a stock passes on value, premium, moat, health, red flags, option trading and stability. A stock that fails any filter stays under 70; 70-84 is Good, 85 and above is Prime. The Sunday Scan is the top 10 that pass, sorted by Wheel Score.
What is the GLS fair value for LOPE?
184.53 per share as of 5 Nov 2026 - the simple average of the 8 valuation models (out of nine: DCF, Graham Number, Graham Growth, Lynch, GLS Growth, 10 Cap, Payback Time, DDM and EPV) that produced a positive value. The models run every night on the latest filings; the Quote page lets you switch any of them off and add a margin of safety of your own.
When does Grand Canyon Education, Inc. report earnings next?
No upcoming earnings date is recorded for LOPE in our calendar as of 5 Nov 2026; the Calendars page is refreshed every morning.
Does LOPE have listed options, and how liquid are they?
Yes. The nightly snapshot found 88 listed contracts with 850 open interest across all expiries and implied volatility of 40% on the near-the-money contracts. The Options scanner lists the cash-secured put and covered call set-ups with premium and annualised yield worked out.