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

American Public Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:APEI - Get Free Report) reached a new 52-week high during trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $30.95 and last traded at $29.76, with a volume of 196472 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $30.11.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have commented on APEI. William Blair upgraded American Public Education from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, March 7th. Northland Securities began coverage on American Public Education in a research note on Wednesday, June 18th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $36.00 target price on the stock. Lake Street Capital boosted their target price 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. Northland Capmk upgraded American Public Education to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 18th. Finally, B. Riley reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of American Public Education in a research note on Tuesday, May 13th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $32.20.

American Public Education Trading Up 2.5%

The company has a market cap of $551.30 million, a P/E ratio of 29.96, a PEG ratio of 1.43 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 business has a 50 day moving average price of $27.31 and a 200-day moving average price of $23.82.

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. American Public Education had a return on equity of 9.96% and a net margin of 3.86%. The company had revenue of $164.55 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $161.92 million. Analysts forecast that American Public Education, Inc. will post 0.47 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director 325 Capital Llc sold 127,406 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $29.45, for a total transaction of $3,752,106.70. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 1,661,150 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $48,920,867.50. The trade was a 7.12% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Nuno S. Fernandes sold 7,272 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $27.11, for a total value of $197,143.92. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 85,459 shares in the company, valued at $2,316,793.49. The trade was a 7.84% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 669,736 shares of company stock valued at $19,211,182. 17.54% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. grew its holdings in American Public Education by 4.3% in the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 9,386 shares of the company's stock valued at $209,000 after buying an additional 390 shares in the last quarter. Informed Momentum Co LLC grew its holdings in 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 in the last quarter. SummerHaven Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in American Public Education by 1.5% in the 1st quarter. SummerHaven Investment Management LLC now owns 44,491 shares of the company's stock valued at $993,000 after buying an additional 648 shares in the last quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. grew its holdings in American Public Education by 2.7% in the 4th quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. now owns 35,291 shares of the company's stock valued at $761,000 after buying an additional 943 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its holdings in American Public Education by 10.0% in the 4th quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 12,321 shares of the company's stock valued at $266,000 after buying an additional 1,120 shares in the last quarter. 79.62% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.