Barrington Research Reiterates "Outperform" Rating for American Public Education (NASDAQ:APEI)

American Public Education (NASDAQ:APEI - Get Free Report)'s stock had its "outperform" rating reaffirmed by research analysts at Barrington Research in a research report issued on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. They presently have a $24.00 price objective on the stock. Barrington Research's price objective points to a potential downside of 4.02% from the company's previous close.

Several other analysts have also commented on APEI. William Blair raised American Public Education from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, March 7th. B. Riley began coverage on shares of American Public Education in a research report on Friday, March 28th. They set a "buy" rating and a $28.00 price target for the company. Lake Street Capital assumed coverage on shares of American Public Education in a report on Friday, April 25th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $30.00 price objective on the stock. StockNews.com raised shares of American Public Education from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Friday, March 7th. Finally, Truist Financial lifted their price target on shares of American Public Education from $20.00 to $24.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, March 10th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $26.50.

American Public Education Stock Performance

APEI stock traded up $0.17 on Wednesday, hitting $25.00. The company had a trading volume of 51,587 shares, compared to its average volume of 173,904. The company has a current ratio of 2.65, a quick ratio of 2.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37. American Public Education has a 12-month low of $11.80 and a 12-month high of $25.76. The stock has a market cap of $450.97 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 44.71, a P/E/G ratio of 1.05 and a beta of 1.56. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $22.72 and its 200 day simple moving average is $21.02.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, SVP Thomas Beckett sold 3,700 shares of American Public Education stock in a transaction on Monday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $22.07, for a total transaction of $81,659.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 60,253 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,329,783.71. The trade was a 5.79 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 17.54% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On American Public Education

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Ameriprise Financial Inc. grew its position in shares of American Public Education by 4.8% during the fourth quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 761,534 shares of the company's stock worth $16,426,000 after purchasing an additional 34,817 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its stake 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 worth $16,197,000 after purchasing an additional 63,103 shares in the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of American Public Education by 8.0% during the 4th quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 507,716 shares of the company's stock valued at $10,951,000 after purchasing an additional 37,492 shares during the last quarter. Bastion Asset Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of American Public Education during the fourth quarter valued at about $9,563,000. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of American Public Education by 0.6% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 404,168 shares of the company's stock worth $5,963,000 after purchasing an additional 2,573 shares during the last quarter. 79.62% of the stock is owned by 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.