American Public Education (NASDAQ:APEI) Releases Quarterly Earnings Results, Beats Expectations By $0.33 EPS

Key Points

• American Public Education reported quarterly EPS of $0.94, beating analyst estimates by $0.33. Revenue also came in slightly ahead of expectations at $174.74 million versus $173.73 million.
• The stock traded around $56.30 after the report, near its 50-day average of $54.54 and well above its 200-day average of $43.92. The company has a market cap of about $1.04 billion and a 12-month high of $61.59.
• Analyst sentiment remains positive, with a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a target price of $55.50. Several firms recently raised price targets, while insiders sold shares in recent weeks.

American Public Education (NASDAQ:APEI - Get Free Report) posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday. The company reported $0.94 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.61 by $0.33, FiscalAI reports. American Public Education had a net margin of 4.86% and a return on equity of 11.30%. The company had revenue of $174.74 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $173.73 million.

American Public Education Price Performance

NASDAQ:APEI traded down $0.01 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $56.30. 335,843 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 306,871. The business's 50-day moving average price is $54.54 and its 200 day moving average price is $43.92. The company has a market cap of $1.04 billion, a PE ratio of 41.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.58 and a beta of 1.46. American Public Education has a 12-month low of $25.31 and a 12-month high of $61.59. The company has a quick ratio of 3.46, a current ratio of 3.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32.

Analyst Ratings Changes

APEI has been the topic of several research reports. DA Davidson boosted their price target on shares of American Public Education from $48.00 to $58.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, March 16th. B. Riley Financial reissued a "buy" rating on shares of American Public Education in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Zacks Research raised shares of American Public Education from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Monday, January 12th. Lake Street Capital boosted their price target on shares of American Public Education from $47.00 to $56.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, March 13th. Finally, Northland Securities set a $51.00 price target on shares of American Public Education in a research report on Wednesday, February 18th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have assigned a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $55.50.

Insider Activity at American Public Education

In related news, insider Nuno S. Fernandes sold 6,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $53.87, for a total transaction of $350,155.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 84,175 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,534,507.25. The trade was a 7.17% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CMO Karmela Gaffney sold 2,700 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.87, for a total transaction of $150,849.00. Following the transaction, the chief marketing officer directly owned 40,527 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,264,243.49. This represents a 6.25% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 377,071 shares of company stock valued at $20,753,569 in the last quarter. 10.60% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On American Public Education

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of APEI. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. grew its stake in American Public Education by 4.3% during the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 9,386 shares of the company's stock valued at $209,000 after acquiring an additional 390 shares in the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. grew its stake in American Public Education by 4.1% during the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 538,440 shares of the company's stock valued at $12,018,000 after acquiring an additional 21,079 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC grew its stake in American Public Education by 7.4% during the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 97,294 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,172,000 after acquiring an additional 6,671 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its stake in American Public Education by 9.3% during the second quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 8,495 shares of the company's stock valued at $259,000 after acquiring an additional 720 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Legal & General Group Plc grew its stake in American Public Education by 40.5% in the 2nd quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 1,914 shares of the company's stock worth $58,000 after buying an additional 552 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.62% of the company's stock.

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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