American Public Education (NASDAQ:APEI) Share Price Passes Above Two Hundred Day Moving Average - Time to Sell?

Key Points

• American Public Education (NASDAQ:APEI) moved above its 200-day moving average, trading as high as $53.30 and last changing hands at $51.89, which may signal improved technical momentum.
• Recent analyst sentiment has been positive, with multiple firms raising price targets and maintaining Buy ratings; the consensus target price is $59.13 and the stock has a Moderate Buy rating overall.
• The company recently reported better-than-expected earnings of $0.94 per share on revenue of $174.74 million, while insiders have also been selling shares and hedge funds remain heavily invested.

Shares of American Public Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:APEI - Get Free Report) crossed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Tuesday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $47.56 and traded as high as $53.30. American Public Education shares last traded at $51.89, with a volume of 242,711 shares.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently commented on APEI. B. Riley Financial upped their price objective on American Public Education from $67.00 to $68.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 12th. Barrington Research upped their price objective on American Public Education from $56.00 to $62.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 13th. DA Davidson restated a "buy" rating and set a $64.00 price objective on shares of American Public Education in a report on Monday, June 1st. Weiss Ratings upgraded American Public Education from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "buy (b)" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 26th. Finally, Lake Street Capital restated a "buy" rating and set a $62.00 price objective on shares of American Public Education in a report on Tuesday, May 12th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $59.13.

American Public Education Trading Up 0.3%

The business's 50-day moving average is $55.00 and its two-hundred day moving average is $47.56. The company has a current ratio of 2.98, a quick ratio of 2.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27. The stock has a market capitalization of $951.66 million, a PE ratio of 27.46, a PEG ratio of 1.33 and a beta of 1.38.

American Public Education (NASDAQ:APEI - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, May 11th. The company reported $0.94 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.61 by $0.33. American Public Education had a net margin of 6.13% and a return on equity of 14.02%. The firm had revenue of $174.74 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $173.73 million. American Public Education has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 0.340-0.390 EPS. On average, analysts predict that American Public Education, Inc. will post 2.59 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider 325 Capital Llc sold 65,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, March 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $53.78, for a total transaction of $3,495,700.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 836,234 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $44,972,664.52. This represents a 7.21% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Nuno S. Fernandes sold 1,100 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $54.08, for a total transaction of $59,488.00. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 83,075 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,492,696. This trade represents a 1.31% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 161,612 shares of company stock valued at $8,785,425. 10.60% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On American Public Education

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in APEI. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. boosted its position in American Public Education by 4.3% in the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 9,386 shares of the company's stock valued at $209,000 after buying an additional 390 shares during the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. boosted its position in American Public Education by 4.1% in the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 538,440 shares of the company's stock valued at $12,018,000 after buying an additional 21,079 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC boosted its position in American Public Education by 7.4% in the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 97,294 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,172,000 after buying an additional 6,671 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its position in American Public Education by 9.3% in the 2nd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 8,495 shares of the company's stock valued at $259,000 after buying an additional 720 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Legal & General Group Plc boosted its position 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 valued at $58,000 after buying an additional 552 shares during the last quarter. 79.62% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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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