American Public Education (NASDAQ:APEI) Reaches New 1-Year High - What's Next?

American Public Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:APEI - Get Free Report)'s stock price reached a new 52-week high 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.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently weighed in on the company. Northland Capmk upgraded American Public Education to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Wednesday. William Blair upgraded American Public Education from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, March 7th. Wall Street Zen upgraded American Public Education from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Friday, March 7th. Truist Financial upped their price objective 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. Finally, B. Riley reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of American Public Education in a research report on Tuesday, May 13th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, American Public Education presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $32.20.

American Public Education Stock Up 1.8%

The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $26.73 and a 200 day simple moving average of $23.51. The company has a market cap of $537.41 million, a P/E 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.

American Public Education (NASDAQ:APEI - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results 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 business had revenue of $164.55 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $161.92 million. On average, equities analysts anticipate that American Public Education, Inc. will post 0.47 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at American Public Education

In related news, Director 325 Capital Llc sold 214,396 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, June 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $28.04, for a total transaction of $6,011,663.84. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 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 document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, insider Nuno S. Fernandes sold 7,272 shares of the company's stock in a transaction 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 sale, the insider now owns 85,459 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,316,793.49. This trade represents a 7.84% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 669,736 shares of company stock valued at $19,211,182. 17.54% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On American Public Education

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in APEI. Bastion Asset Management Inc. acquired a new stake in American Public Education in the fourth quarter worth about $9,563,000. Royce & Associates LP acquired a new stake in American Public Education in the first quarter worth about $5,319,000. Invesco Ltd. boosted its holdings in American Public Education by 379.5% in the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 282,325 shares of the company's stock worth $6,090,000 after acquiring an additional 223,447 shares in the last quarter. LSV Asset Management boosted its holdings in American Public Education by 649.4% in the fourth quarter. LSV Asset Management now owns 214,551 shares of the company's stock worth $4,628,000 after acquiring an additional 185,920 shares in the last quarter. Finally, 4D Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in American Public Education in the first quarter worth about $3,013,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.