LOPE vs UTI: Which Is the Better Buy in 2026?

Last updated September 2026

Short answer

LOPE is the larger of the two ($3.91B market cap): the incumbent the market prices for continued execution (13.25x forward earnings, beta 0.58). UTI is the smaller challenger ($1.15B), actually pricier on forward earnings (22.42x): more room to run, but more to prove. The real question is which set of drivers you believe, and whether owning one (or both) leaves you over-concentrated.

LOPE vs UTI: the tie-breaker metrics

Same yardstick, side by side (as of September 2026). Valuation lined up like this is most meaningful for two names in the same corner of the market, which these are. Figures are approximate; verify before investing.

Metric	LOPE	UTI	What it tells you
Market cap	$3.91B	$1.15B	Size. The larger name is the incumbent; the smaller has more room to grow and more to prove.
Forward P/E	13.25	22.42	Valuation on next year's expected earnings, the same yardstick for both. Lower is cheaper for that growth; higher means the market is paying up.
Trailing P/E	18.10	34.18	Valuation on the last 12 months. A big drop from trailing to forward means the market expects earnings to jump, so more growth is already in the price.
Beta	0.58	1.24	Volatility vs the market. Above 1 swings harder than the index; below 1 is steadier. Higher beta means bigger drawdowns to hold through.
Price vs 52-week range	18% of range	0% of range	Where today's price sits between the 52-week low and high. Near the high is momentum with less margin of safety; near the low is out of favor or a discount, depending on why.
Price / book	5.81	3.34	How much you pay over book value. Very high can signal an asset-light, high-return business or a rich price.

Reading it: LOPE is the cheaper of the two on forward earnings, but cheaper is not the same as better. Pair the valuation with growth (how far the forward P/E sits below the trailing P/E) and risk (beta) before you decide.

Before you buy: how LOPE and UTI affect your concentration

The metrics above tell you which is the marginally better business. The bigger risk for most people is not picking the slightly worse stock, it is over-concentrating. LOPE and UTI share themes, so owning both, or adding either to what you already hold, can quietly push a large share of your portfolio into one bet.

This is the part a generic comparison page cannot answer, because it depends on what you own. Connect your brokerage and Walnut shows your real, combined LOPE and UTI exposure, flags overlap with your existing positions, and tells you if adding one would tip you past a concentration you are comfortable with, read-only by default, with your login staying at your broker. Walnut is not an investment adviser.

What does Grand Canyon Education (LOPE) do?

Grand Canyon Education (Nasdaq: LOPE) is an education services company that provides technology, counseling, marketing, financial aid processing, faculty support, and back-office operations to university partners for a share of their tuition revenue. Its economic core is a long-term master services relationship with Grand Canyon University, which GCE owned and operated until GCU spun off as a nonprofit in 2018. Around that anchor, GCE has built a portfolio of roughly 20-plus university partners and a fast-growing hybrid model (through its Orbis/healthcare campuses) that runs off-campus classroom and lab sites for nursing and allied-health programs.

Full LOPE guide

What does Universal Technical Institute (UTI) do?

Universal Technical Institute, Inc. (NYSE: UTI) runs postsecondary vocational schools across two reportable segments. The legacy UTI segment trains students in automotive, diesel, motorcycle, marine, welding, CNC and related skilled trades, while the Concorde Career Colleges segment (acquired in 2022) offers allied health, dental, nursing, patient-care and diagnostic programs. The company generates revenue primarily from student tuition, much of it funded through federal Title IV financial aid, and it has been growing student starts and average full-time enrollment at both segments.

Full UTI guide

LOPE vs UTI: how do they differ?

Both fit overlapping themes, but they are not interchangeable. The useful comparison is which set of drivers and risks you want exposure to.

LOPE drivers: Enrollment growth at Grand Canyon University; Hybrid and healthcare campus expansion.
UTI drivers: Skilled-trades demand tailwind; Concorde and healthcare diversification.

Which fits which kind of investor

A faster-growing, richer-valued name usually swings harder, so it suits a longer horizon and a higher tolerance for volatility; a steadier, more cash-generative business suits a more conservative or income-minded investor. The honest test is which set of risks you could hold through a drawdown: GCE's revenue is heavily concentrated in its relationship with Grand Canyon University, so any change to that master services agreement, GCU's enrollment trends, or its regulatory standing would ripple straight through to GCE. For UTI, uTI depends heavily on federal Title IV student aid, so changes to financial-aid rules, gainful-employment regulations, or the 90/10 revenue rule could materially affect the business.

LOPE or UTI: which should you pick?

Growth-minded investors who believe the theme has years to run tend to accept the richer multiple for more upside; value-minded investors lean toward the cheaper forward earnings and steadier profile. Pick LOPE if you believe its drivers more; UTI if you believe its. Many investors hold both, but since they share themes, that is a concentrated bet, not diversification. Decide deliberately and check overlap. For the full detail, see the LOPE and UTI guides.

LOPE vs UTI: the full fundamentals

LOPE. GCE trades at roughly a low-20s price-to-earnings multiple against about $1.12 billion in trailing revenue and a market capitalization near $4.5 billion. The market is valuing it as a steady, high-margin services compounder, with adjusted EBITDA margins around 36 percent reflecting the capital-light model. Full-year 2026 EPS guidance sits near a midpoint of roughly $9.98.

UTI. Fiscal 2025 revenue grew about 14% and net income rose roughly 50% to about $63 million. Fiscal 2026 guidance calls for revenue near $905 to $915 million but net income of only about $40 to $45 million, reflecting roughly $40 million of growth-investment spending. The premium P/E reflects investor expectations that campus expansion will lift future earnings.

Headline figures (approximate, JULY 2026): LOPE shows revenue (ttm) ~$1.12B, 2026 revenue guidance (midpoint) ~$1.18B, market cap ~$4.5B, eps (ttm) ~$7.46; UTI shows revenue (fy2025) ~$835.6M, revenue guidance (fy2026) ~$905-915M, net income (fy2025) ~$63M, adjusted ebitda (fy2025) ~$126.5M.

The bottom line: LOPE vs UTI

LOPE and UTI are related but distinct: same themes, different businesses and risks. Neither wins in the abstract; the right pick is whichever thesis you actually believe, sized so you are not over-concentrated in one theme. Walnut can show your combined LOPE and UTI exposure against your real portfolio. It is not an investment adviser.

Wondering how LOPE or UTI fits the portfolio you already own? Walnut is an AI investing app that connects your brokerage read-only and answers questions like that about your actual holdings: overlap, concentration, and how each position tracks the S&P 500. Compare the best AI portfolio analyzers or see the best AI investing apps in 2026.

Investing in Grand Canyon Education with AI

Connect the broker you already use and ask Walnut's AI how LOPE fits what you actually hold: whether you own it already through a fund, what it would do to your concentration, and how it has tracked the S&P 500. Read-only by default, and you approve anything before it reaches your broker.

Does LOPE fit me?

FAQ

What is the difference between LOPE and UTI?

Is LOPE or UTI the better stock?

Neither is universally better. LOPE is the larger incumbent; UTI is the smaller challenger and looks pricier on forward earnings. Walnut is informational, not investment advice. Compare what each does, the tie-breaker metrics above, and the risks, then decide which fits your thesis and what you already own.

Which is cheaper, LOPE or UTI?

On forward P/E (as of September 2026), LOPE trades at 13.25x and UTI at 22.42x, so LOPE is the cheaper of the two on next year's expected earnings. A lower multiple is not automatically the better buy: a richer valuation can be justified by faster growth, and a lower one can reflect real risk. Weigh the multiple against how fast each business is compounding.

Should you own both LOPE and UTI?

Because they share themes, owning both concentrates you in that theme. That can be intentional (a focused bet) or accidental (less diversification than it looks). Walnut can show your combined exposure across both, and whether adding either over-concentrates you, before you buy.

What are the risks of LOPE vs UTI?

LOPE: GCE's revenue is heavily concentrated in its relationship with Grand Canyon University, so any change to that master services agreement, GCU's enrollment trends, or its regulatory standing would ripple straight through to GCE. The for-profit-adjacent education sector faces ongoing regulatory and political scrutiny, including rules governing online program managers, tuition-sharing arrangements, and Title IV federal financial aid. A shift in federal student-aid policy or accreditation standards could pressure enrollment or margins. Competition from other online program managers and education companies such as Strategic Education, Adtalem, and Perdoceo could compress pricing over time. Slower-than-expected ramp of the hybrid campuses would remove a key growth narrative the market is pricing in. UTI: UTI depends heavily on federal Title IV student aid, so changes to financial-aid rules, gainful-employment regulations, or the 90/10 revenue rule could materially affect the business. Near-term profitability has already collapsed on expansion spending, and the stock's premium multiple leaves little room for disappointment if new campuses underperform or enrollment growth stalls. The for-profit education sector carries a history of regulatory scrutiny and reputational risk. Rising labor and real-estate costs can pressure margins, and an economic downturn can cut both ways on enrollment. Any softening in student starts or graduate placement rates would challenge the growth narrative underpinning the current valuation.

Walnut is informational, not investment advice. This page is descriptive and not a recommendation to buy or sell LOPE or UTI; figures are approximate and dated (as of September 2026). Verify current data before investing.