American Public Education (NASDAQ:APEI) Releases Quarterly Earnings Results, Beats Expectations By $0.16 EPS

Key Points

• American Public Education beat quarterly expectations: It reported $0.52 in earnings per share, $0.16 above estimates, while revenue of $171.73 million slightly exceeded the $170.88 million consensus.
• Shares fell 7.5% to $47.39 despite the earnings beat, trading below the company’s 50-day and 200-day moving averages.
• Analysts remain broadly positive, with an average “Buy” rating and a consensus price target of $59.12; institutional investors own 79.62% of the stock.

American Public Education (NASDAQ:APEI - Get Free Report) released its quarterly earnings data on Monday. The company reported $0.52 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.36 by $0.16, FiscalAI reports. The business had revenue of $171.73 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $170.88 million. American Public Education had a return on equity of 14.02% and a net margin of 6.13%.

American Public Education Trading Down 7.5%

NASDAQ APEI traded down $3.85 on Monday, hitting $47.39. The company's stock had a trading volume of 549,255 shares, compared to its average volume of 303,675. The firm has a market cap of $869.13 million, a PE ratio of 25.07, a PEG ratio of 1.32 and a beta of 1.38. The company's 50-day moving average is $52.82 and its 200 day moving average is $51.69. The company has a quick ratio of 2.98, a current ratio of 2.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27. American Public Education has a 1-year low of $27.74 and a 1-year high of $61.59.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, SVP Thomas Beckett sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, June 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $54.00, for a total value of $108,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 52,172 shares in the company, valued at $2,817,288. This represents a 3.69% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 10.60% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On American Public Education

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Osaic Holdings Inc. boosted its holdings in American Public Education by 5,909.5% in the second quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. now owns 1,262 shares of the company's stock valued at $38,000 after acquiring an additional 1,241 shares during the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets boosted its stake in shares of American Public Education by 84.1% in the 2nd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 1,616 shares of the company's stock valued at $49,000 after purchasing an additional 738 shares during the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc increased its position in shares of American Public Education by 40.5% during the second quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 1,914 shares of the company's stock worth $58,000 after buying an additional 552 shares during the period. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC raised its stake in American Public Education by 96.5% during the second quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 2,643 shares of the company's stock worth $81,000 after buying an additional 1,298 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Meeder Asset Management Inc. lifted its holdings in American Public Education by 259.6% in the fourth quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 5,276 shares of the company's stock valued at $199,000 after buying an additional 3,809 shares during the period. 79.62% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on APEI shares. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of American Public Education from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Sunday, July 12th. Zacks Research raised shares of American Public Education from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Monday, July 13th. Weiss Ratings cut shares of American Public Education from a "buy (b)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. Lake Street Capital reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $62.00 price target on shares of American Public Education in a report on Tuesday, May 12th. Finally, B. Riley Financial increased their price target on American Public Education from $67.00 to $68.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 12th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $59.12.

American Public Education Company Profile

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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