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

Key Points

• American Public Education (APEI) reached a new 52-week high, trading as high as $61.59 (last $59.97), trading above the MarketBeat consensus target of $55.50 as several analysts raised price targets and ratings.
• The company reported an earnings beat with $0.67 EPS vs. $0.39 expected and $158.33M in revenue, issued Q1 2026 EPS guidance of $0.580–$0.640, and analysts project about $2.38 EPS for the year.
• Insiders have sold a combined 377,071 shares (~$20.75M) in the past three months, while institutional investors own roughly 79.6% of the stock.

American Public Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:APEI - Get Free Report) shares reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $61.59 and last traded at $59.97, with a volume of 262997 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $60.86.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the company. DA Davidson raised their price objective on American Public Education from $48.00 to $58.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, March 16th. Truist Financial raised their price objective on American Public Education from $38.00 to $55.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, March 13th. William Blair set a $58.00 price objective on American Public Education in a report on Friday, March 13th. B. Riley Financial raised their price objective on American Public Education from $53.00 to $57.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, March 13th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded American Public Education from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Monday, January 12th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have assigned a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, American Public Education has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $55.50.

American Public Education Price Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 3.46, a current ratio of 3.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The firm has a market cap of $1.10 billion, a P/E ratio of 44.10, a PEG ratio of 1.71 and a beta of 1.49. The business has a fifty day moving average of $51.94 and a 200 day moving average of $42.53.

American Public Education (NASDAQ:APEI - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, March 12th. The company reported $0.67 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.39 by $0.28. American Public Education had a return on equity of 11.30% and a net margin of 4.86%.The business had revenue of $158.33 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $151.61 million. American Public Education has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 0.580-0.640 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that American Public Education, Inc. will post 2.38 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at American Public Education

In related news, insider 325 Capital Llc sold 95,512 shares of American Public Education stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $54.76, for a total transaction of $5,230,237.12. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 901,234 shares in the company, valued at approximately $49,351,573.84. This trade represents a 9.58% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Tanya Joy Axenson sold 20,000 shares of American Public Education stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.68, for a total value of $1,113,600.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 49,917 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,779,378.56. The trade was a 28.61% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 377,071 shares of company stock valued at $20,753,569 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 17.54% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On American Public Education

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Ritholtz Wealth Management acquired a new stake in American Public Education during the first quarter worth approximately $700,000. Diversified Trust Co lifted its position in American Public Education by 8.6% during the first quarter. Diversified Trust Co now owns 7,818 shares of the company's stock worth $445,000 after acquiring an additional 621 shares during the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. lifted its position in American Public Education by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 63,644 shares of the company's stock worth $2,406,000 after acquiring an additional 652 shares during the last quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp lifted its position in American Public Education by 6.5% during the fourth quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 51,377 shares of the company's stock worth $1,919,000 after acquiring an additional 3,141 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Empowered Funds LLC lifted its position in American Public Education by 1.1% during the fourth quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 110,614 shares of the company's stock worth $4,181,000 after acquiring an additional 1,150 shares during the last quarter. 79.62% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About American Public Education

American Public Education, Inc operates as a provider of online postsecondary education, offering degree and certificate programs through its wholly owned subsidiary, American Public University System (APUS). The company designs and delivers a broad range of undergraduate and graduate programs in fields such as business administration, information technology, criminal justice, homeland security, health sciences, and education. Its curriculum is developed to meet the needs of working adults, military personnel, veterans and civilian students seeking flexible, career-relevant learning opportunities.

APUS is regionally accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education and employs a proprietary online learning platform that supports asynchronous instruction, digital course materials and interactive learning tools.

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