American Public Education (NASDAQ:APEI) Trading Down 5.2% - Time to Sell?

American Public Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:APEI - Get Free Report) fell 5.2% during trading on Wednesday . The company traded as low as $28.16 and last traded at $28.00. 57,945 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 66% from the average session volume of 172,528 shares. The stock had previously closed at $29.54.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently commented on APEI. B. Riley reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of American Public Education in a research report on Tuesday, May 13th. William Blair raised shares of American Public Education from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, March 7th. Northland Securities began coverage on shares of American Public Education in a research note on Wednesday, June 18th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $36.00 price target for the company. Truist Financial increased their price target on shares of American Public Education from $24.00 to $30.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 14th. Finally, Barrington Research increased their price target on shares of American Public Education from $24.00 to $32.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 13th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $32.20.

American Public Education Price Performance

The company has a market cap of $545.17 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.63, a PEG ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 1.57. The company has a current ratio of 3.27, a quick ratio of 3.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. The company's 50 day moving average price is $27.97 and its 200 day moving average price is $24.08.

American Public Education (NASDAQ:APEI - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Monday, May 12th. The company reported $0.41 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.15 by $0.26. American Public Education had a net margin of 3.86% and a return on equity of 9.96%. The company had revenue of $164.55 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $161.92 million. Equities research analysts forecast that American Public Education, Inc. will post 0.47 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director 325 Capital Llc sold 214,396 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the sale, the director owned 1,181,005 shares in the company, valued at $33,115,380.20. This trade represents a 15.36% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, insider Nuno S. Fernandes sold 7,272 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $27.11, for a total transaction of $197,143.92. Following the transaction, the insider owned 85,459 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,316,793.49. This trade represents a 7.84% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 669,736 shares of company stock valued at $19,211,182 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 17.54% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On American Public Education

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in American Public Education by 6.6% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 908,974 shares of the company's stock valued at $20,288,000 after acquiring an additional 56,674 shares in the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. increased its holdings in American Public Education by 4.8% during the 4th quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 761,534 shares of the company's stock valued at $16,426,000 after acquiring an additional 34,817 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its holdings in American Public Education by 9.2% during the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 750,912 shares of the company's stock valued at $16,197,000 after acquiring an additional 63,103 shares in the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. increased its holdings in American Public Education by 4.1% during the 1st 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. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. increased its holdings in American Public Education by 1.7% during the 1st quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 516,266 shares of the company's stock valued at $11,523,000 after acquiring an additional 8,550 shares in the last quarter. 79.62% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.