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

American Public Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:APEI - Get Free Report)'s share price reached a new 52-week high during trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $30.11 and last traded at $29.93, with a volume of 63598 shares. The stock had previously closed at $29.31.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have commented on APEI. Truist Financial boosted their target price on American Public Education from $24.00 to $30.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 14th. Lake Street Capital upped their price target on American Public Education from $30.00 to $35.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 13th. William Blair raised American Public Education from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, March 7th. B. Riley reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of American Public Education in a report on Tuesday, May 13th. Finally, Barrington Research upped their price target on American Public Education from $24.00 to $32.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 13th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, four have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $31.25.

American Public Education Stock Performance

The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $25.04 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $22.57. The company has a quick ratio of 2.65, a current ratio of 2.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37. The company has a market cap of $524.96 million, a P/E ratio of 51.96, a P/E/G ratio of 1.05 and a beta of 1.56.

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

Insider Buying and Selling at American Public Education

In other American Public Education news, SVP Thomas Beckett sold 3,700 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $22.07, for a total value of $81,659.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 60,253 shares in the company, valued at $1,329,783.71. This represents a 5.79% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Nuno S. Fernandes sold 7,272 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $27.11, for a total value of $197,143.92. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 85,459 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,316,793.49. The trade was a 7.84% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 17.54% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of American Public Education

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. increased its position 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 worth $209,000 after buying an additional 390 shares in the last quarter. Informed Momentum Co LLC increased its position in American Public Education by 1.5% in the first quarter. Informed Momentum Co LLC now owns 41,455 shares of the company's stock worth $925,000 after buying an additional 609 shares in the last quarter. SummerHaven Investment Management LLC grew 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 purchasing an additional 648 shares in the last quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. grew 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 purchasing an additional 943 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its position in shares of American Public Education by 10.0% during the fourth quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 12,321 shares of the company's stock worth $266,000 after purchasing an additional 1,120 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.62% of the company's stock.

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.