American Public Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:APEI) Given Average Rating of "Buy" by Brokerages

Shares of American Public Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:APEI - Get Free Report) have received an average recommendation of "Buy" from the seven brokerages that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 1-year target price among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $32.20.

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on APEI shares. Truist Financial raised their target price 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. Barrington Research lifted their price objective on shares of American Public Education from $24.00 to $32.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 13th. Northland Securities began coverage on shares of American Public Education in a research note on Wednesday, June 18th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $36.00 price target for the company. B. Riley reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of American Public Education in a report on Tuesday, May 13th. Finally, Lake Street Capital boosted their price target on shares of American Public Education from $30.00 to $35.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 13th.

Insider Transactions at American Public Education

In related news, Director 325 Capital Llc sold 214,396 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $28.04, for a total value of $6,011,663.84. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 1,181,005 shares in the company, valued at $33,115,380.20. This represents a 15.36% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Nuno S. Fernandes sold 7,272 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 owned 85,459 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,316,793.49. This represents a 7.84% 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 quarter. 17.54% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On American Public Education

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of APEI. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of American Public Education by 4.3% in the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 9,386 shares of the company's stock worth $209,000 after buying an additional 390 shares during the period. Informed Momentum Co LLC raised its position in shares of American Public Education by 1.5% in the first quarter. Informed Momentum Co LLC now owns 41,455 shares of the company's stock valued at $925,000 after purchasing an additional 609 shares during the period. SummerHaven Investment Management LLC lifted its position in American Public Education by 1.5% during the 1st quarter. SummerHaven Investment Management LLC now owns 44,491 shares of the company's stock worth $993,000 after acquiring an additional 648 shares during the last quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of American Public Education by 2.7% during the 4th quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. now owns 35,291 shares of the company's stock worth $761,000 after purchasing an additional 943 shares during the last quarter. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its position in shares of American Public Education by 16.2% in the fourth quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 8,155 shares of the company's stock valued at $176,000 after acquiring an additional 1,134 shares during the period. 79.62% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

American Public Education Price Performance

NASDAQ:APEI traded up $0.73 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $31.72. 428,696 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 181,895. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a quick ratio of 3.27 and a current ratio of 3.27. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $28.63 and its 200 day simple moving average is $24.40. American Public Education has a 1 year low of $11.80 and a 1 year high of $31.83. The company has a market cap of $572.23 million, a PE ratio of 31.10, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.49 and a beta of 1.57.

American Public Education (NASDAQ:APEI - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, May 12th. The company reported $0.41 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.15 by $0.26. American Public Education had a net margin of 3.86% and a return on equity of 9.96%. The company had revenue of $164.55 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $161.92 million. Sell-side analysts expect that American Public Education will post 0.47 EPS for the current year.

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.