American Public Education (NASDAQ:APEI) Hits New 12-Month High - Still a Buy?

Key Points

• American Public Education (APEI) reached a new 12-month high trading at $32.62, significantly increasing from a previous close of $31.60.
• Wall Street analysts have revised their price targets upward, with an average target of $35.17 and several institutions rating the stock as a "buy" or "strong buy."
• The company reported a quarterly earnings beat with EPS of ($0.02), surpassing expectations and indicating positive momentum for future growth.

Shares of American Public Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:APEI - Get Free Report) hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Monday . The company traded as high as $32.62 and last traded at $32.35, with a volume of 43167 shares. The stock had previously closed at $31.60.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on APEI shares. Northland Securities started coverage on shares of American Public Education in a research report on Wednesday, June 18th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $36.00 target price on the stock. B. Riley upped their target price on shares of American Public Education from $36.00 to $37.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 7th. DA Davidson started coverage on shares of American Public Education in a research report on Tuesday. They set a "buy" rating and a $40.00 target price on the stock. Zacks Research upgraded shares of American Public Education to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 12th. Finally, Barrington Research upped their target price on shares of American Public Education from $32.00 to $36.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, August 11th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $35.86.

American Public Education Price Performance

The company's fifty day moving average is $30.55 and its two-hundred day moving average is $27.18. The firm has a market capitalization of $645.17 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.02 and a beta of 1.61. The company has a quick ratio of 2.83, a current ratio of 2.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35.

American Public Education (NASDAQ:APEI - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, August 6th. The company reported ($0.02) earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.07) by $0.05. The company had revenue of $162.77 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $160.88 million. American Public Education had a net margin of 4.44% and a return on equity of 10.82%. Equities research analysts anticipate that American Public Education, Inc. will post 0.47 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On American Public Education

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in APEI. Acadian Asset Management LLC increased its position in shares of American Public Education by 124.8% during the second quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 668,130 shares of the company's stock worth $20,342,000 after acquiring an additional 370,894 shares in the last quarter. Royce & Associates LP bought a new stake in shares of American Public Education during the first quarter worth $5,319,000. CSM Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of American Public Education during the second quarter worth $6,723,000. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership increased its position in shares of American Public Education by 76.1% during the second quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 389,586 shares of the company's stock worth $11,867,000 after acquiring an additional 168,362 shares in the last quarter. Finally, 4D Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of American Public Education by 111.1% during the second quarter. 4D Advisors LLC now owns 285,000 shares of the company's stock worth $8,681,000 after acquiring an additional 150,000 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors 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.