GRAND CANYON EDUCATION, INC. REPORTS THIRD QUARTER 2025 RESULTS

Rhea-AI Summary

Grand Canyon Education (NASDAQ: LOPE) reported Q3 2025 results: service revenue $261.1M (+9.6% YoY) driven by partner enrollments of 138,073 (+7.9% YoY). Q3 operating income fell to $18.0M (6.9% margin) from $48.2M a year ago, primarily due to a $35.0M reserve for litigation settlement and $2.4M of lease/impairment charges. Adjusted operating income rose to $58.2M (22.3% margin) and adjusted EBITDA increased to $75.9M (+14.4% YoY). YTD service revenue was $798.0M (+7.8%). Liquidity (cash, equivalents, investments) was $277.0M at Sept 30, 2025, down $47.6M year-to-date. Company provided Q4 and full-year 2025 guidance including adjusted FY diluted EPS of $9.02–$9.13.

Positive

• Service revenue +9.6% Q3 to $261.1M
• Partner enrollments +7.9% to 138,073
• Adjusted EBITDA +14.4% Q3 to $75.9M
• Adjusted operating margin 22.3% Q3

Negative

• Operating income -62.6% Q3 to $18.0M
• $35.0M litigation reserve hit Q3 results
• Liquidity down $47.6M YTD to $277.0M
• Reported operating margin 6.9% Q3 vs 20.2% prior year

Insights

Senior Financial Analyst

Revenue and enrollments rose, reported profit fell due to a $35.0 million litigation reserve; adjusted results and EBITDA improved.

Grand Canyon Education grew service revenue to $261.1 million in Q3 2025, driven by partner enrollments rising 7.9% to 138,073 and GCU enrollments up to 132,486. The company recorded a material $35.0 million reserve for a litigation settlement that reduced GAAP operating income to $18.0 million and net income to $16.3 million, while adjusted operating income and adjusted EBITDA rose to $58.2 million and $75.9 million, respectively.

The business model monetizes partner enrollments and higher-margin off‑campus ABSN sites; thus top-line growth and adjusted margins matter most. Key risks are the one-time litigation charge and lease impairments that compress GAAP margins now; tax treatment of the settlement raised the effective tax rate to 24.9% for the quarter. Liquidity fell by $47.6 million year-to-date to $277.0 million, reflecting investing, capex and buybacks.

Watch Q4 guidance versus realized results: management forecasts Q4 service revenue of $305.0–$310.0 million, Q4 operating margin 35.1–35.8, and full-year adjusted EPS of $9.02–$9.13 (as adjusted). Near-term signals to monitor include settlement-related cash outflows, realized adjusted operating margin trends, and enrollment momentum at off-campus sites into Q4 2025.

PHOENIX, Nov. 5, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Grand Canyon Education, Inc. (NASDAQ: LOPE), ("GCE" or the "Company"), is a publicly traded education services company that currently provides services to 20 university partners.  GCE provides a full array of support services in the post-secondary education sector and has developed significant technological solutions, infrastructure and operational processes to provide superior services in these areas on a large scale.  GCE today announced financial results for the quarter ended September 30, 2025.

Grand Canyon Education, Inc. Reports Third Quarter 2025 Results

For the three months ended September 30, 2025:

• Service revenue for the three months ended September 30, 2025 was $261.1 million, an increase of $22.8 million, or 9.6%, as compared to service revenue of $238.3 million for the three months ended September 30, 2024. The increase year over year in service revenue was primarily due to an increase in partner enrollments of 7.9% to 138,073 at September 30, 2025 as compared to 127,977 at September 30, 2024. Revenue per student decreased slightly between years primarily due to contract modifications for some of our university partners in which the revenue share percentage was reduced in exchange for us no longer reimbursing these partners for certain faculty costs which had the effect of reducing revenue per student and a slight decline year over year in revenue per student for online students due to the continued mix shift to students that have a slightly lower net tuition rate. These decreases were partially offset by an additional day of revenue for the ground campus at Grand Canyon University ("GCU"), our most significant partner, due to the start date shifting one day of revenue from the fourth quarter to the third quarter in 2025 which had a $0.9 million impact as well as the service revenue per student for accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing ("ABSN") students at our off-campus classroom and laboratory sites generating a significantly higher revenue per student than we earn under our agreement with GCU as these agreements generally provide us with a higher revenue share percentage, the partners have higher tuition rates than GCU and the majority of our partners' students take more credits on average per semester.
• GCU enrollments increased to 132,486 at September 30, 2025, an increase of 7.7% over enrollments at September 30, 2024. University partner enrollments at our off-campus classroom and laboratory sites were 6,912, an increase of 17.4% over enrollments at September 30, 2024, which includes 1,325 and 913 GCU students at September 30, 2025 and 2024, respectively. Excluding sites closing in 2024 to new enrollments, total enrollments at our off-campus classroom and laboratory sites increased 19.3% between years. We opened six sites in the year ended December 31, 2024 and opened five new sites in the nine months ended September 30, 2025 while closing two sites at which we stopped recruiting new students in 2024 and merged two sites that were located in the same market bringing the total number of these off-campus sites to 47 at September 30, 2025, which has also positively impacted the enrollment growth. Enrollments for GCU ground students were 24,671 at September 30, 2025 up from 24,657 at September 30, 2024. GCU online enrollments were 107,815 at September 30, 2025, up from 98,345 at September 30, 2024, an increase of 9.6% between years.
• Operating income for the three months ended September 30, 2025 was $18.0 million, a decrease of $30.2 million, or 62.6%, as compared to $48.2 million for the same period in 2024.  The operating margin for the three months ended September 30, 2025 and 2024 was 6.9% and 20.2%, respectively.  Operating income and operating margin were materially impacted in the third quarter of 2025 by a reserve for litigation settlement of $35.0 million related to the settlement of the qui tam lawsuit; lease termination, impairment and other in the amount of $2.4 million due to the Company executing its lease termination provision on an office lease and the impairment of two off-campus classroom and laboratory site leases as the teach out at those locations has completed; loss on disposal of assets of $0.4 million for assets; and $0.3 million of severance costs.  Excluding these costs and the amortization of intangible assets of $2.1 million in both the three months ended September 30, 2025 and 2024, adjusted operating income and adjusted operating margin were $58.2 million and 22.3%, respectively, for the three months ended September 30, 2025 compared to adjusted operating income and adjusted operating margin of $50.3 million and 21.1%, respectively for the three months ended September 30, 2024.  The third quarter operating income and operating margin were positively impacted on a year over year basis by an additional day of ground traditional student revenue at GCU shifting from the fourth quarter to the third quarter, a $0.9 million impact, and contract modifications for some of our university partners in which the revenue share percentage was reduced in exchange for us no longer reimbursing the partner for certain faculty costs which had the effect of reducing operating expenses and revenue per student.
• Income tax expense for the three months ended September 30, 2025 was $5.4 million, a decrease of $5.5 million, or 50.4%, as compared to income tax expense of $10.9 million for the three months ended September 30, 2024. The decrease in income tax expense is due to the decrease in income before taxes partially offset by a higher effective tax rate. Our effective tax rate was 24.9% during the three months ended September 30, 2025 compared to 20.8% during the three months ended September 30, 2024. The effective tax rate increased year over year due to the tax treatment of the litigation settlement recorded in the third quarter and changes in state income taxes partially offset by an increase in the contributions made in lieu of state income taxes from $4.5 million in the third quarter of 2024 to $5.0 million in the third quarter of 2025.
• Net income for the three months ended September 30, 2025 was $16.3 million, a decrease of $25.2 million, or 60.8% as compared to $41.5 million for the same period in 2024. As adjusted net income was $49.7 million and $43.2 million for the third quarters of 2025 and 2024, respectively.
• Diluted net income per share was $0.58 and $1.42 for the third quarters of 2025 and 2024, respectively. As adjusted diluted net income per share was $1.78 and $1.48 for the third quarters of 2025 and 2024, respectively.
• Adjusted EBITDA increased 14.4% to $75.9 million for the third quarter of 2025, compared to $66.3 million for the same period in 2024.

For the nine months ended September 30, 2025:

• Service revenue for the nine months ended September 30, 2025 was $798.0 million, an increase of $57.6 million, or 7.8%, as compared to service revenue of $740.4 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2024. The increase year over year in service revenue was primarily due to an increase in partner enrollments of 7.9% to 138,073 at September 30, 2025 as compared to 127,977 at September 30, 2024. Revenue per student decreased slightly between years primarily due to the additional day for leap year in 2024 which added additional service revenue of $1.5 million as compared to the current year and contract modifications for some of our university partners in which the revenue share percentage was reduced in exchange for us no longer reimbursing these partners for certain faculty costs, both of which had the effect of reducing revenue per student and a slight decline year over year in revenue per student for online students due to the continued mix shift to students that have a slightly lower net tuition rate. These decreases were partially offset by an additional day of revenue for the ground campus at GCU due to the start date shifting one day of revenue from the fourth quarter to the third quarter in 2025 which had a $0.9 million impact and the service revenue per student for ABSN students at off-campus classroom and laboratory sites generating a significantly higher revenue per student than we earn under our agreement with GCU, as these agreements generally provide us with a higher revenue share percentage, the partners have higher tuition rates than GCU and the majority of our partners' students take more credits on average per semester.
• Operating income for the nine months ended September 30, 2025 was $157.8 million, a decrease of $17.6 million, or 10.0%, as compared to $175.4 million for the same period in 2024. The operating margin for the nine months ended September 30, 2025 and 2024 was 19.8% and 23.7%, respectively. Operating income and operating margin were materially impacted in the nine months ended September 30, 2025 by a reserve for litigation settlement of $35.0 million related to the settlement of the qui tam lawsuit; lease termination, impairment and other in the amount of $2.4 million due to the Company executing its lease termination provision on an office lease and the impairment of two off-campus classroom and laboratory site leases as the teach out at those locations has completed; loss on disposal of assets of $0.5 million; and $0.3 million of severance costs. Excluding these costs and the amortization of intangible assets of $6.3 million in both the nine months ended September 30, 2025 and 2024, adjusted operating income and adjusted operating margin were $202.3 million and 25.4%, respectively, for the nine months ended September 30, 2025 compared to adjusted operating income and adjusted operating margin of $181.7 million and 24.5%, respectively for the nine months ended September 30, 2024. The operating income and operating margin for the nine months ended September 30, 2025 were positively impacted by an additional day of ground traditional student revenue at GCU shifting from the fourth quarter to the third quarter, a $0.9 million impact, and contract modifications for some of our university partners in which the revenue share percentage was reduced in exchange for us no longer reimbursing the partner for certain faculty costs which had the effect of reducing operating expenses and revenue per student and $1.1 million recorded in the second quarter related to an executive officer that resigned effective June 30, 2024, partially offset by the additional day for leap year in 2024 which added additional service revenue of $1.5 million as compared to the current year.
• Income tax expense for the nine months ended September 30, 2025 was $38.6 million, a decrease of $4.4 million, or 10.2%, as compared to income tax expense of $43.0 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2024. This decrease is primarily due to the decrease in our income before taxes between years. Our effective tax rate was 23.0% during the nine months ended September 30, 2025 compared to 23.0% during the nine months ended September 30, 2024. The effective tax rate was favorably impacted year over year primarily due to an increase in excess tax benefits of $2.7 million as compared to $1.5 million in the nine months ended September 30, 2025 and 2024, respectively. The effective tax rate was also favorably impacted by an increase in contributions made in lieu of state income taxes to $5.0 million as compared to $4.5 million in the prior year. These increases were offset by a higher effective tax rate due to the tax treatment of the litigation settlement recorded in the third quarter and changes in state income taxes.
• Net income for the nine months ended September 30, 2025 was $129.4 million, a decrease of $15.0 million, or 10.3% as compared to $144.4 million for the same period in 2024. As adjusted net income was $166.1 million and $150.1 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2025 and 2024, respectively.
• Diluted net income per share was $4.60 and $4.91 for the nine months ended September 30, 2025 and 2024, respectively. As adjusted diluted net income per share was $5.90 and $5.11 for the nine months ended September 30, 2025 and 2024, respectively.
• Adjusted EBITDA increased 9.8% to $245.3 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2025, compared to $223.4 million for the same period in 2024.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

Our liquidity position, as measured by cash and cash equivalents and investments decreased by $47.6 million between December 31, 2024 and September 30, 2025, which was largely attributable to cash expended for investing activities, capital expenditures and share repurchases exceeding our cash provided by operations during the nine months ended September 30, 2025.  Our unrestricted cash and cash equivalents and investments were $277.0 million and $324.6 million at September 30, 2025 and December 31, 2024, respectively.

Grand Canyon Education, Inc. Reports Third Quarter 2025 Results and Full Year Outlook 2025

2025 Outlook

Q4 2025:

• Service revenue of between $305.0 million and $310.0 million;
• Operating margin of between 35.1% and 35.8%;
• Effective tax rate of 22.8%;
• Diluted EPS of between $3.07 and $3.18; and
• 27.7 million diluted shares.

The diluted EPS guidance includes non-cash amortization of intangible assets net of taxes of $1.6 million, which equates to a $0.06 impact on diluted EPS. Thus, as adjusted, non-GAAP diluted income per share of between $3.13 and $3.24.

Full Year 2025:

• Service revenue of between $1,103.0 million and $1,108.0 million;
• Operating margin of between 24.0% and 24.3%;
• Effective tax rate of 22.9%;
• Diluted EPS between $7.66 and $7.77; and
• 28.0 million diluted shares.

The diluted EPS guidance includes non-cash amortization of intangible assets net of taxes of $6.6 million, $29.2 million reserve for litigation, $1.9 million for lease termination and impairment costs, $0.2 million for severance costs and $0.4 million for loss on disposal of assets, which equates to a $1.36 impact on diluted EPS. Thus, as adjusted, non-GAAP diluted income per share of between $9.02 and $9.13.

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of federal securities laws which includes information relating to future events, future financial performance, strategies expectations, competitive environment, regulation, and availability of resources.  These forward-looking statements include, without limitation, statements regarding: proposed new programs; whether regulatory, economic, or business developments or other matters may or may not have a material adverse effect on our financial position, results of operations, or liquidity; projections, predictions, expectations, estimates, and forecasts as to our business, financial and operating results, and future economic performance; and management's goals and objectives and other similar expressions concerning matters that are not historical facts.  Words such as "may," "should," "could," "would," "predicts," "potential," "continue," "expects," "anticipates," "future," "intends," "plans," "believes," "estimates" and similar expressions, the negative of these expressions, as well as statements in future tense, identify forward-looking statements.

Forward-looking statements should not be read as a guarantee of future performance or results and will not necessarily be accurate indications of the times at, or by, which such performance or results will be achieved.  Forward-looking statements are based on information available at the time those statements are made or management's good faith belief as of that time with respect to future events and are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual performance or results to differ materially from those expressed in or suggested by the forward-looking statements.  Important factors that could cause our actual performance or results to differ materially from those expressed in or suggested by the forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to: (i) legal and regulatory actions taken against us related to our services business, or against our university partners that impact their businesses and that directly or indirectly reduce the service revenue we can earn under our master services agreements; (ii) the occurrence of any event, change or other circumstance that could give rise to the termination of any of the key university partner agreements; (iii) our ability to properly manage risks and challenges associated with strategic initiatives, including potential acquisitions or divestitures of, or investments in, new businesses, acquisitions of new properties and new university partners, and expansion of services provided to our existing university partners; (iv) our ability to comply with the extensive regulatory framework applicable to us either directly as a third-party service provider or indirectly through our university partners; (v) our ability to manage risks associated with epidemics, pandemics, or public health crises; (vi) our ability to manage risks resulting from system disruptions, interruptions, or outages associated with our technology platforms or those of third-party service providers; (vii) the ability of our university partners' students to obtain federal Title IV funds, state financial aid, and private financing; (viii) potential damage to our reputation or other adverse effects as a result of negative publicity in the media, in the industry or in connection with governmental reports or investigations or otherwise; (ix) risks associated with changes in applicable federal and state laws and regulations and accrediting commission standards; (x) competition from other education service companies in our geographic region and market sector; (xi) our ability to hire and train new, and develop and train existing employees; (xii) the pace of growth of our university partners' enrollment and its effect on the pace of our own growth; (xiii) fluctuations in our revenues due to seasonality; (xiv) our ability to, on behalf of our university partners, convert prospective students to enrolled students and to retain active students to graduation; and (xv) other risks and uncertainties identified from time to time in documents filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") by us, including our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2024, filed on February 19, 2025.

Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date the statements are made.  You should not put undue reliance on any forward-looking statements.  We assume no obligation to update forward-looking statements to reflect actual results, changes in assumptions, or changes in other factors affecting forward-looking information, except to the extent required by applicable securities laws.  If we do update one or more forward-looking statements, no inference should be drawn that we will make additional updates with respect to those or other forward-looking statements.  This press release should be read in conjunction with the information included in our other press releases, reports and other filings with the SEC.  Understanding the information contained in these filings is important in order to fully understand GCE's reported financial results and our business outlook for future periods.

Grand Canyon Education, Inc. Reports Third Quarter 2025 Results

Conference Call

Grand Canyon Education, Inc. will discuss its third quarter 2025 results and full year 2025 outlook during a conference call scheduled for today, November 5, 2025 at 4:30 p.m. Eastern time (ET).

Live Conference Dial-In:

Those interested in participating in the question-and-answer session should follow the conference dial-in instructions below.  Participants may register for the call here to receive the dial-in numbers and unique PIN to access the call seamlessly. Please dial in at least ten minutes prior to the start of the call.  Journalists are invited to listen only.

Webcast and Replay:

Investors, journalists and the general public may access a live webcast of this event at: Q3 2025 Grand Canyon Education Inc. Earnings Conference Call. A webcast replay will be available approximately two hours following the conclusion of the call at the same link.

About Grand Canyon Education, Inc.

Grand Canyon Education, Inc. ("GCE"), incorporated in 2008, is a publicly traded education services company that currently provides services to 20 university partners.  GCE is uniquely positioned in the education services industry in that its leadership has over 30 years of proven expertise in providing a full array of support services in the post-secondary education sector and has developed significant technological solutions, infrastructure and operational processes to provide superior services in these areas on a large scale.  GCE provides services that support students, faculty and staff of partner institutions such as marketing, strategic enrollment management, counseling services, financial services, technology, technical support, compliance, human resources, classroom operations, content development, faculty recruitment and training, among others.  For more information about GCE visit the Company's website at www.gce.com.

Grand Canyon Education, Inc., 2600 W. Camelback Road, Phoenix, AZ 85017, www.gce.com.

Grand Canyon Education, Inc. Reports Third Quarter 2025 Results

 

GRAND CANYON EDUCATION, INC. Consolidated Income Statements (Unaudited)
		Three Months Ended						Nine Months Ended
		September 30,						September 30,
		2025			2024			2025			2024
(In thousands, except per share data)
Service revenue		$	261,142		$	238,291		$	797,951		$	740,429
Costs and expenses:
Technology and academic services			44,908			41,955			129,706			122,081
Counseling services and support			84,405			77,166			254,250			238,157
Marketing and communication			59,145			54,526			175,512			162,774
General and administrative			15,149			14,364			36,926			35,730
Reserve for litigation settlement			35,000			—			35,000			—
Lease termination, impairment and other			2,411			—			2,411			—
Amortization of intangible assets			2,105			2,105			6,315			6,315
Total costs and expenses			243,123			190,116			640,120			565,057
Operating income			18,019			48,175			157,831			175,372
Investment interest and other			3,637			4,154			10,244			11,991
Income before income taxes			21,656			52,329			168,075			187,363
Income tax expense			5,382			10,862			38,637			43,008
Net income		$	16,274		$	41,467		$	129,438		$	144,355
Earnings per share:
Basic income per share		$	0.59		$	1.43		$	4.62		$	4.94
Diluted income per share		$	0.58		$	1.42		$	4.60		$	4.91
Basic weighted average shares outstanding			27,740			29,003			28,002			29,248
Diluted weighted average shares outstanding			27,897			29,164			28,165			29,405

 

Grand Canyon Education, Inc. Reports Third Quarter 2025 Results

GRAND CANYON EDUCATION, INC. Consolidated Balance Sheets
		As of September 30,			As of December 31,
(In thousands, except par value)		2025			2024
ASSETS:			(Unaudited)
Current assets
Cash and cash equivalents		$	97,284		$	324,623
Investments			179,691			—
Accounts receivable, net			122,041			82,948
Income taxes receivable			22,679			490
Other current assets			12,299			11,915
Total current assets			433,994			419,976
Property and equipment, net			180,013			176,823
Right-of-use assets			99,871			99,541
Amortizable intangible assets, net			153,647			159,962
Goodwill			160,766			160,766
Other assets			4,501			1,357
Total assets		$	1,032,792		$	1,018,425
LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY:
Current liabilities
Accounts payable		$	19,284		$	26,721
Accrued compensation and benefits			28,766			33,183
Accrued liabilities			70,539			29,620
Income taxes payable			144			8,559
Deferred revenue			3,801			—
Current portion of lease liability			14,204			12,883
Total current liabilities			136,738			110,966
Deferred income taxes, noncurrent			40,195			26,527
Other long-term liabilities			1,494			1,444
Lease liability, less current portion			96,324			95,635
Total liabilities			274,751			234,572
Commitments and contingencies
Stockholders' equity
Preferred stock, $0.01 par value, 10,000 shares authorized; 0 shares issued and outstanding at September 30, 2025 and December 31, 2024			—			—
Common stock, $0.01 par value, 100,000 shares authorized; 54,178 and 54,090 shares issued and 28,004 and 28,858 shares outstanding at September 30, 2025 and December 31, 2024, respectively			542			541
Treasury stock, at cost, 26,174 and 25,232 shares of common stock at September 30, 2025 and December 31, 2024, respectively			(2,190,582)			(2,024,370)
Additional paid-in capital			347,146			336,736
Accumulated other comprehensive gain			551			—
Retained earnings			2,600,384			2,470,946
Total stockholders' equity			758,041			783,853
Total liabilities and stockholders' equity		$	1,032,792		$	1,018,425

 

Grand Canyon Education, Inc. Reports Third Quarter 2025 Results

GRAND CANYON EDUCATION, INC. Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows (Unaudited)
		Nine Months Ended
		September 30,
(In thousands)		2025			2024
Cash flows provided by operating activities:
Net income		$	129,438		$	144,355
Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities:
Share-based compensation			10,411			10,855
Depreciation and amortization			23,323			20,707
Amortization of intangible assets			6,315			6,315
Deferred income taxes			13,497			(560)
Reserve for litigation settlement			35,000			—
Lease termination, impairment and other			2,411			—
Other, including fixed asset disposals			(444)			(743)
Changes in assets and liabilities:
Accounts receivable from university partners			(39,093)			(37,577)
Other assets			(3,218)			1,239
Right-of-use assets and lease liabilities			576			1,296
Accounts payable			(8,477)			10,710
Accrued liabilities			70			1,747
Income taxes receivable/payable			(30,604)			(10,623)
Deferred revenue			3,801			6,420
Net cash provided by operating activities			143,006			154,141
Cash flows (used in) provided by investing activities:
Capital expenditures			(27,225)			(27,501)
Additions of amortizable content			(47)			(227)
Purchase of equity investment			(1,000)			—
Loss on equity investment			500			—
Purchases of investments			(224,715)			(48,594)
Proceeds from sale or maturity of investments			46,872			147,619
Net cash (used in) provided by investing activities			(205,615)			71,297
Cash flows used in financing activities:
Repurchase of common shares and shares withheld in lieu of income taxes			(164,730)			(108,329)
Net cash used in financing activities			(164,730)			(108,329)
Net (decrease) increase in cash and cash equivalents and restricted cash			(227,339)			117,109
Cash and cash equivalents and restricted cash, beginning of period			324,623			146,475
Cash and cash equivalents and restricted cash, end of period		$	97,284		$	263,584
Supplemental disclosure of cash flow information
Cash paid for interest		$	—		$	4
Cash paid for income taxes		$	53,748		$	51,420
Supplemental disclosure of non-cash investing and financing activities
Purchases of property and equipment included in accounts payable		$	798		$	1,604
ROU Asset and Liability recognition		$	330		$	6,395
Excise tax on treasury stock repurchases		$	1,482		$	815

 

Grand Canyon Education, Inc. Reports Third Quarter 2025 Results

GRAND CANYON EDUCATION, INC.

Adjusted EBITDA  (Non-GAAP Financial Measure)

Adjusted EBITDA is defined as net income plus interest expense, less interest income and other gain (loss) recognized on investments, plus income tax expense, and plus depreciation and amortization (EBITDA), as adjusted for (i) contributions to private Arizona school tuition organizations in lieu of the payment of state income taxes; (ii) share-based compensation; and (iii) unusual charges or gains, such as litigation and regulatory reserves, impairment charges and asset write-offs, severance costs, and exit or lease termination costs.  We present Adjusted EBITDA because we consider it to be an important supplemental measure of our operating performance.  We also make certain compensation decisions based, in part, on our operating performance, as measured by Adjusted EBITDA.  All of the adjustments made in our calculation of Adjusted EBITDA are adjustments to items that management does not consider to be reflective of our core operating performance.  Management considers our core operating performance to be that which can be affected by our managers in any particular period through their management of the resources that affect our underlying revenue and profit generating operations during that period and does not consider the items for which we make adjustments (as listed above) to be reflective of our core performance.

We believe Adjusted EBITDA allows us to compare our current operating results with corresponding historical periods and with the operational performance of other companies in our industry because it does not give effect to potential differences caused by variations in capital structures (affecting relative interest expense, including the impact of write-offs of deferred financing costs when companies refinance their indebtedness), tax positions (such as the impact on periods or companies of changes in effective tax rates or net operating losses), the book amortization of intangibles (affecting relative amortization expense), and other items that we do not consider reflective of underlying operating performance.  We also present Adjusted EBITDA because we believe it is frequently used by securities analysts, investors, and other interested parties as a measure of performance.

In evaluating Adjusted EBITDA, investors should be aware that in the future we may incur expenses similar to the adjustments described above.  Our presentation of Adjusted EBITDA should not be construed as an inference that our future results will be unaffected by expenses that are unusual, non-routine, or non-recurring.  Adjusted EBITDA has limitations as an analytical tool in that, among other things, it does not reflect:

• cash expenditures for capital expenditures or contractual commitments;
• changes in, or cash requirements for, our working capital requirements;
• interest expense, or the cash required to replace assets that are being depreciated or amortized; and
• the impact on our reported results of earnings or charges resulting from the items for which we make adjustments to our EBITDA, as described above and set forth in the table below.

In addition, other companies, including other companies in our industry, may calculate these measures differently than we do, limiting the usefulness of Adjusted EBITDA as a comparative measure.  Because of these limitations, Adjusted EBITDA should not be considered as a substitute for net income, operating income, or any other performance measure derived in accordance with and reported under GAAP, or as an alternative to cash flow from operating activities or as a measure of our liquidity.  We compensate for these limitations by relying primarily on our GAAP results and only use Adjusted EBITDA as a supplemental performance measure.

The following table provides a reconciliation of net income to Adjusted EBITDA, which is a non-GAAP measure for the periods indicated:

		Three Months Ended						Nine Months Ended
		September 30,						September 30,
		2025			2024			2025			2024
		(Unaudited, in thousands)							(Unaudited, in thousands)
Net income		$	16,274		$	41,467		$	129,438		$	144,355
Less: investment interest and other			(3,637)			(4,154)			(10,244)			(11,991)
Plus: income tax expense			5,382			10,862			38,637			43,008
Plus: amortization of intangible assets			2,105			2,105			6,315			6,315
Plus: depreciation and amortization			8,063			7,126			23,323			20,707
EBITDA			28,187			57,406			187,469			202,394
Plus: contributions in lieu of state income taxes			5,000			4,500			5,000			4,500
Plus: share-based compensation			3,293			3,375			10,411			10,855
Plus: litigation and regulatory costs			36,318			1,017			39,220			4,488
Plus: lease termination, impairment and other			2,411			—			2,411			—
Plus: severance costs			299			—			299			1,133
Plus: loss on fixed asset disposal			392			27			470			71
Adjusted EBITDA		$	75,900		$	66,325		$	245,280		$	223,441

 

Non-GAAP Net Income and Non-GAAP Diluted Income Per Share

The Company believes the presentation of non-GAAP net income and non-GAAP diluted income per share information that excludes amortization of intangible assets, reserve for litigation settlement, lease termination costs, impairments and other costs, severance costs and loss on disposal of fixed assets allows investors to develop a more meaningful understanding of the Company's performance over time.  Accordingly, for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2025 and 2024, the table below provides reconciliations of these non-GAAP items to GAAP net income and GAAP diluted income per share, respectively:

		Three Months Ended							Nine Months Ended
		September 30,							September 30,
		2025			2024			2025			2024
	(Unaudited, in thousands except per share data)
GAAP Net income		$	16,274		$	41,467		$	129,438		$	144,355
Amortization of intangible assets			2,105			2,105			6,315			6,315
Reserve for litigation settlement			35,000			—			35,000			—
Lease termination, impairment and other			2,411			—			2,411			—
Severance costs			299			—			299			1,133
Loss on disposal of fixed assets			392			27			470			71
Income tax effects of adjustments (1)			(6,796)			(443)			(7,848)			(1,726)
As Adjusted, Non-GAAP Net income		$	49,685		$	43,156		$	166,085		$	150,148
GAAP Diluted income per share		$	0.58		$	1.42		$	4.60		$	4.91
Amortization of intangible assets (2)			0.06			0.06			0.17			0.17
Reserve on litigation settlement (3)			1.05			-			1.05			-
Lease termination, impairment and other (4)			0.07			-			0.06			-
Severance costs (5)			0.01			-			0.01			0.03
Loss on disposal of fixed assets (6)			0.01			0.00			0.01			0.00
As Adjusted, Non-GAAP Diluted income per share		$	1.78		$	1.48		$	5.90		$	5.11

(1)	The income tax effects of adjustments are based on the effective income tax rate applicable to adjusted (non-GAAP) results.  The tax effect for the reserve for litigation was 16.49% for both the three and nine months ended September 30, 2025, due to non-deductible components.
(2)	The amortization of acquired intangible assets per diluted share is net of an income tax benefit of $0.01 for both of the three months ended September 30, 2025 and 2024, and net of an income tax benefit of $0.05 for both of the nine months ended September 30, 2025 and 2024.
(3)	The reserve for litigation settlement per diluted share is net of an income tax benefit of $0.21 and $0.20 for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2025, respectively.
(4)	The lease termination, impairment and other per diluted share is net of an income tax benefit of $0.02 for both the three and nine months ended September 30, 2025.
(5)	The severance costs per diluted share is net of an income tax benefit of nil for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2025 and net of an income tax benefit of $0.01 for the nine months ended September 30, 2024.
(6)	The loss on disposal of fixed assets per diluted share is net of an income tax benefit of nil for both the three months ended September 30, 2025 and 2024 and nil for both the nine months ended September 30, 2025 and 2024.

 

Investor Relations Contact:
Daniel E. Bachus
Chief Financial Officer
Grand Canyon Education, Inc.
602-639-6648
Dan.bachus@gce.com

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/grand-canyon-education-inc-reports-third-quarter-2025-results-302605981.html

SOURCE Grand Canyon Education, Inc.

FAQ

What were Grand Canyon Education (LOPE) Q3 2025 revenue and enrollment figures?

Q3 2025 service revenue was $261.1M (up 9.6% YoY) and partner enrollments were 138,073 (up 7.9% YoY).

Why did LOPE's operating income fall in Q3 2025?

Operating income fell to $18.0M mainly due to a $35.0M reserve for litigation settlement and $2.4M of lease termination/impairment charges.

What were LOPE's adjusted profitability metrics for Q3 2025?

Adjusted operating income was $58.2M (22.3% margin) and adjusted EBITDA was $75.9M for Q3 2025.

How much cash and investments did Grand Canyon Education (LOPE) have at Sept 30, 2025?

Unrestricted cash, cash equivalents and investments were $277.0M at Sept 30, 2025, down $47.6M versus Dec 31, 2024.

What guidance did LOPE give for Q4 and full-year 2025 EPS?

Q4 2025 diluted EPS guidance is $3.07–$3.18 (adjusted $3.13–$3.24); full-year 2025 diluted EPS is $7.66–$7.77 (adjusted $9.02–$9.13).

How did litigation affect LOPE's 2025 adjusted results?

The company recorded a $35.0M litigation settlement reserve in Q3 2025 that reduced GAAP operating income but adjusted metrics exclude this reserve.