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

American Public Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:APEI - Get Free Report) shares reached a new 52-week high on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $30.32 and last traded at $29.69, with a volume of 29029 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $29.24.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Lake Street Capital lifted their target price on shares of American Public Education from $30.00 to $35.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 13th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of American Public Education from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Friday, March 7th. William Blair upgraded shares of American Public Education from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, March 7th. Barrington Research boosted their price target on shares of American Public Education from $24.00 to $32.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 13th. Finally, Truist Financial boosted their price target on shares of American Public Education from $24.00 to $30.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 14th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, four have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $31.25.

American Public Education Stock Down 5.0%

The company has a current ratio of 2.65, a quick ratio of 2.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37. The company has a market cap of $499.53 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 49.45, a PEG ratio of 1.05 and a beta of 1.58. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $25.41 and its 200 day simple moving average is $22.83.

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director 325 Capital Llc sold 54,913 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $29.32, for a total value of $1,610,049.16. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 1,526,446 shares in the company, valued at approximately $44,755,396.72. This represents a 3.47% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, SVP Thomas Beckett sold 3,700 shares of the company's 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 completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 60,253 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,329,783.71. The trade was a 5.79% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 327,995 shares of company stock worth $9,591,278 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 17.54% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of American Public Education

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in American Public Education by 6.6% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 908,974 shares of the company's stock worth $20,288,000 after purchasing an additional 56,674 shares during the period. Ameriprise Financial Inc. increased its position in American Public Education by 4.8% during the 4th 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 during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its position in American Public Education by 9.2% during 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 during the period. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. increased its position in American Public Education by 4.1% during the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 538,440 shares of the company's stock worth $12,018,000 after purchasing an additional 21,079 shares during the period. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. increased its position in American Public Education by 1.7% during the 1st quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 516,266 shares of the company's stock worth $11,523,000 after purchasing an additional 8,550 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.