American Public Education (NASDAQ:APEI) Reaches New 1-Year High – Time to Buy?

American Public Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:APEI)’s stock price reached a new 52-week high during trading on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $30.55 and last traded at $29.27, with a volume of 267140 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $28.07.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

APEI has been the topic of several recent research reports. Barrington Research upped their price objective on shares of American Public Education from $24.00 to $32.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 13th. B. Riley reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of American Public Education in a research report on Tuesday, May 13th. Truist Financial upped their price objective on shares of American Public Education from $24.00 to $30.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 14th. Northland Securities started coverage on shares of American Public Education in a research report on Wednesday. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $36.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of American Public Education from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, March 7th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, American Public Education has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $32.20.

American Public Education Stock Performance

The company has a market cap of $537.41 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.21, a P/E/G ratio of 1.37 and a beta of 1.58. The company has a current ratio of 3.27, a quick ratio of 3.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $26.73 and its 200 day simple moving average is $23.51.

American Public Education (NASDAQ:APEI) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, May 12th. The company reported $0.41 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.15 by $0.26. The company had revenue of $164.55 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $161.92 million. American Public Education had a net margin of 3.86% and a return on equity of 9.96%. As a group, analysts anticipate that American Public Education, Inc. will post 0.47 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Nuno S. Fernandes sold 7,272 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $27.11, for a total transaction of $197,143.92. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 85,459 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,316,793.49. This trade represents a 7.84% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director 325 Capital Llc sold 27,523 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $27.96, for a total transaction of $769,543.08. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 1,498,923 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $41,909,887.08. The trade was a 1.80% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 669,736 shares of company stock valued at $19,211,182 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 17.54% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On American Public Education

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in American Public Education by 6.6% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 908,974 shares of the company’s stock valued at $20,288,000 after buying an additional 56,674 shares during the period. Ameriprise Financial Inc. boosted its position in American Public Education by 4.8% in the 4th quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 761,534 shares of the company’s stock valued at $16,426,000 after buying an additional 34,817 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its position in American Public Education by 9.2% in the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 750,912 shares of the company’s stock valued at $16,197,000 after buying an additional 63,103 shares during the period. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. boosted its position in American Public Education by 4.1% in the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 538,440 shares of the company’s stock valued at $12,018,000 after buying an additional 21,079 shares during the period. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. boosted its position in American Public Education by 1.7% in the 1st quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 516,266 shares of the company’s stock valued at $11,523,000 after buying an additional 8,550 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.62% of the company’s stock.

About American Public Education

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.