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

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have recently commented on APEI. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of American Public Education from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a 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 raised their target price on shares of American Public Education from $24.00 to $32.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 13th. Lake Street Capital raised their target price on shares of American Public Education from $30.00 to $35.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 13th. Finally, B. Riley restated a "buy" rating on shares of American Public Education in a report on Tuesday, May 13th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, four have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, American Public Education has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $31.25.

American Public Education Stock Up 0.4%

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's fifty day moving average is $25.75 and its 200-day moving average is $22.99. The company has a market cap of $509.63 million, a PE ratio of 50.45, a PEG ratio of 1.05 and a beta of 1.58.

American Public Education (NASDAQ:APEI - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, May 12th. The company reported $0.41 earnings per share 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 business had revenue of $164.55 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $161.92 million. On average, analysts predict that American Public Education, Inc. will post 0.47 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other American Public Education news, Director 325 Capital Llc sold 214,396 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $28.04, for a total value of $6,011,663.84. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 1,181,005 shares in the company, valued at approximately $33,115,380.20. This trade represents a 15.36% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Nuno S. Fernandes sold 7,272 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $27.11, for a total transaction of $197,143.92. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now 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. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 673,436 shares of company stock worth $19,292,841. Company insiders own 17.54% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of American Public Education

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. American Century Companies Inc. raised its position 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 period. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its position in shares of American Public Education by 10.0% during the 4th quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 12,321 shares of the company's stock valued at $266,000 after purchasing an additional 1,120 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its position in shares of American Public Education by 29.9% during the 4th quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 57,921 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,249,000 after purchasing an additional 13,344 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC bought a new stake in shares of American Public Education during the 4th quarter valued at $121,000. Finally, Alberta Investment Management Corp bought a new stake in shares of American Public Education during the 4th quarter valued at $858,000. 79.62% of the stock is currently 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.