American Public Education (NASDAQ:APEI) Reaches New 12-Month High – What’s Next?

American Public Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:APEI)’s share price reached a new 52-week high during trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $30.32 and last traded at $29.69, with a volume of 29029 shares. The stock had previously closed at $29.24.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

APEI has been the subject of several analyst reports. B. Riley restated a “buy” rating on shares of American Public Education in a research note on Tuesday, May 13th. Wall Street Zen upgraded American Public Education from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, March 7th. Truist Financial upped their price target on American Public Education from $24.00 to $30.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 14th. Barrington Research upped their price objective on American Public Education from $24.00 to $32.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 13th. Finally, William Blair raised American Public Education from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, March 7th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, four have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $31.25.

American Public Education Price Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 2.65, a current ratio of 2.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37. The company has a market cap of $522.44 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 51.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.05 and a beta of 1.56. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $25.29 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $22.78.

American Public Education (NASDAQ:APEI) last posted its earnings results on Monday, May 12th. The company reported $0.41 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.15 by $0.26. The company had revenue of $164.55 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $161.92 million. American Public Education had a return on equity of 6.96% and a net margin of 2.64%. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that American Public Education, Inc. will post 0.47 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at American Public Education

In related news, SVP Thomas Beckett sold 3,700 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $22.07, for a total transaction of $81,659.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 60,253 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,329,783.71. This trade represents a 5.79% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Nuno S. Fernandes sold 7,272 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $27.11, for a total value of $197,143.92. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 85,459 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,316,793.49. The trade was a 7.84% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 17.54% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On American Public Education

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in APEI. Bastion Asset Management Inc. purchased a new position in American Public Education during the fourth quarter worth about $9,563,000. Royce & Associates LP purchased a new position in American Public Education during the first quarter worth about $5,319,000. Invesco Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of American Public Education by 379.5% in the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 282,325 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,090,000 after purchasing an additional 223,447 shares during the period. LSV Asset Management raised its holdings in shares of American Public Education by 649.4% in the 4th quarter. LSV Asset Management now owns 214,551 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,628,000 after purchasing an additional 185,920 shares during the period. Finally, 4D Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of American Public Education in the 1st quarter worth about $3,013,000. 79.62% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

American Public Education Company Profile

American Public Education, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, provides online and campus-based postsecondary education and career learning in the United States. It operates through three segments: American Public University System, Rasmussen University, and Hondros College of Nursing. The company offers 184 degree programs and 134 certificate programs in various fields of study, including nursing, national security, military studies, intelligence, homeland security, business, health science, information technology, justice studies, education, and liberal arts; and career learning opportunities in leadership, finance, human resources, and other fields of study critical to the federal government workforce.