American Public Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:APEI) Receives Consensus Rating of "Moderate Buy" from Brokerages

American Public Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:APEI - Get Free Report) has been assigned an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the five research firms that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12 month price target among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $31.25.

APEI has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Barrington Research raised their target price on American Public Education from $24.00 to $32.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 13th. Lake Street Capital raised their price objective on American Public Education from $30.00 to $35.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 13th. Truist Financial lifted their target price on American Public Education from $24.00 to $30.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 14th. William Blair raised shares of American Public Education from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, March 7th. Finally, B. Riley restated a "buy" rating on shares of American Public Education in a research note on Tuesday, May 13th.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, SVP Thomas Beckett sold 3,700 shares of American Public Education stock in a transaction dated 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 directly owns 60,253 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,329,783.71. This trade represents a 5.79% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Nuno S. Fernandes sold 7,272 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 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. 17.54% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On American Public Education

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. increased its holdings in 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 valued at $209,000 after purchasing an additional 390 shares during the period. Informed Momentum Co LLC grew its position in shares of American Public Education by 1.5% in the 1st quarter. Informed Momentum Co LLC now owns 41,455 shares of the company's stock valued at $925,000 after buying an additional 609 shares during the last quarter. SummerHaven Investment Management LLC raised its position in shares of American Public Education by 1.5% during the first 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. raised its position in shares of American Public Education by 2.7% during the fourth quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. now owns 35,291 shares of the company's stock worth $761,000 after acquiring an additional 943 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of American Public Education by 10.0% in the fourth quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 12,321 shares of the company's stock worth $266,000 after acquiring an additional 1,120 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 79.62% of the company's stock.

American Public Education Price Performance

Shares of APEI traded up $0.17 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $29.31. 212,530 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 176,644. The company has a market cap of $528.75 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 52.34, a P/E/G ratio of 1.05 and a beta of 1.56. The firm's fifty day moving average is $24.50 and its 200 day moving average is $22.31. American Public Education has a fifty-two week low of $11.80 and a fifty-two week high of $30.09. The company has a quick ratio of 2.65, a current ratio of 2.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37.

American Public Education (NASDAQ:APEI - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, May 12th. The company reported $0.41 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.15 by $0.26. The firm had revenue of $164.55 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $161.92 million. American Public Education had a net margin of 2.64% and a return on equity of 6.96%. On average, equities analysts anticipate that American Public Education will post 0.47 earnings per share for the current fiscal 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.