American Public Education (NASDAQ:APEI) Reaches New 52-Week High - Should You Buy?

American Public Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:APEI - Get Free Report) reached a new 52-week high on Thursday . The company traded as high as $31.83 and last traded at $30.98, with a volume of 39114 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $30.88.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on APEI shares. Lake Street Capital boosted their price objective on American Public Education from $30.00 to $35.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 13th. Barrington Research boosted their price objective on American Public Education from $24.00 to $32.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 13th. Truist Financial upped their price target on American Public Education from $24.00 to $30.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 14th. Northland Securities began coverage on American Public Education in a research report on Wednesday, June 18th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $36.00 price objective for the company. Finally, B. Riley reissued a "buy" rating on shares of American Public Education in a research report on Tuesday, May 13th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, five have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $32.20.

American Public Education Stock Up 0.9%

The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $28.35 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $24.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a quick ratio of 3.27 and a current ratio of 3.27. The company has a market capitalization of $561.95 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.54, a PEG ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 1.57.

American Public Education (NASDAQ:APEI - Get Free Report) last issued its 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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $161.92 million. As a group, equities analysts predict that American Public Education, Inc. will post 0.47 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at American Public Education

In other American Public Education news, insider Nuno S. Fernandes sold 7,272 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 sale, the insider owned 85,459 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,316,793.49. This represents a 7.84% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director 325 Capital Llc sold 214,396 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 sale, the director owned 1,181,005 shares in the company, valued at approximately $33,115,380.20. This trade represents a 15.36% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 669,736 shares of company stock valued at $19,211,182 over the last ninety days. 17.54% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On American Public Education

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of APEI. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its holdings in shares of American Public Education by 19,594.1% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 3,348 shares of the company's stock worth $75,000 after purchasing an additional 3,331 shares during the last quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of American Public Education during the first quarter worth $89,000. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio acquired a new stake in shares of American Public Education during the fourth quarter worth $124,000. Militia Capital Partners LP boosted its holdings in American Public Education by 43.5% in the first quarter. Militia Capital Partners LP now owns 6,932 shares of the company's stock valued at $155,000 after acquiring an additional 2,100 shares during the last quarter. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its holdings in American Public Education by 16.2% in the fourth quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 8,155 shares of the company's stock valued at $176,000 after acquiring an additional 1,134 shares during the last quarter. 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.

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