American Public Education (NASDAQ:APEI) Stock Price Down 4.3% on Insider Selling

American Public Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:APEI - Get Free Report)'s share price traded down 4.3% during trading on Wednesday after an insider sold shares in the company. The company traded as low as $27.47 and last traded at $27.88. 228,106 shares were traded during mid-day trading, an increase of 26% from the average session volume of 180,586 shares. The stock had previously closed at $29.14.

Specifically, Director 325 Capital Llc sold 54,913 shares of American Public Education stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $29.32, for a total transaction of $1,610,049.16. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 1,526,446 shares in the company, valued at $44,755,396.72. This trade represents a 3.47% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director 325 Capital Llc sold 54,913 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $29.32, for a total value of $1,610,049.16. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 1,526,446 shares of the company's stock, valued at $44,755,396.72. The trade was a 3.47% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In other American Public Education news, Director 325 Capital Llc sold 79,791 shares of American Public Education stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $29.33, for a total transaction of $2,340,270.03. Following the transaction, the director now owns 1,581,359 shares of the company's stock, valued at $46,381,259.47. This trade represents a 4.80% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on APEI. B. Riley reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of American Public Education in a report on Tuesday, May 13th. Barrington Research raised their price target on American Public Education from $24.00 to $32.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 13th. William Blair raised American Public Education from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, March 7th. Wall Street Zen upgraded American Public Education from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Friday, March 7th. Finally, Lake Street Capital upped their price objective on shares of American Public Education from $30.00 to $35.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 13th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, four have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, American Public Education currently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $31.25.

American Public Education Stock Performance

The firm has a market cap of $510.51 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 50.53, a PEG ratio of 1.05 and a beta of 1.58. The company has a 50 day moving average of $25.52 and a 200 day moving average of $22.86. The company has a quick ratio of 2.65, a current ratio of 2.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37.

American Public Education (NASDAQ:APEI - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Monday, May 12th. The company reported $0.41 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.15 by $0.26. The business had revenue of $164.55 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $161.92 million. American Public Education had a return on equity of 6.96% and a net margin of 2.64%. As a group, equities research analysts expect that American Public Education, Inc. will post 0.47 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of American Public Education

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of APEI. SG Americas Securities LLC bought a new stake in American Public Education in the 4th quarter valued at $121,000. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its position in shares of American Public Education by 5.0% during the 4th quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 90,623 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,955,000 after acquiring an additional 4,324 shares during the period. New York State Teachers Retirement System purchased a new position in American Public Education during the 4th quarter worth $31,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its position in American Public Education by 10.0% during the fourth quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 12,321 shares of the company's stock valued at $266,000 after buying an additional 1,120 shares during the period. Finally, Alberta Investment Management Corp purchased a new stake in American Public Education in the 4th quarter worth about $858,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.62% of the company's stock.

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.