American Public Education (NASDAQ:APEI) Trading Up 7.8% - Here's What Happened

American Public Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:APEI - Get Free Report) traded up 7.8% during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $29.92 and last traded at $30.27. 66,659 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 64% from the average session volume of 184,643 shares. The stock had previously closed at $28.07.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have recently commented on APEI. Northland Capmk raised American Public Education to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday. Northland Securities began coverage on American Public Education in a report on Wednesday. They set an "outperform" rating and a $36.00 price objective for the company. Wall Street Zen raised American Public Education from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Friday, March 7th. Truist Financial increased their target price on 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, William Blair raised shares of American Public Education from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, March 7th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, five have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $32.20.

American Public Education Stock Up 1.8%

The stock has a market cap of $537.41 million, a PE ratio of 29.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 1.58. The business has a fifty day moving average of $26.73 and a 200-day moving average of $23.53. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 3.27 and a quick ratio of 3.27.

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Nuno S. Fernandes sold 7,272 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 now directly owns 85,459 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,316,793.49. This trade represents a 7.84% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director 325 Capital Llc sold 127,406 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $29.45, for a total transaction of $3,752,106.70. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 1,661,150 shares of the company's stock, valued at $48,920,867.50. This trade represents a 7.12% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 669,736 shares of company stock worth $19,211,182 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 17.54% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On American Public Education

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in APEI. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. grew its stake in American Public Education by 4.3% in the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 9,386 shares of the company's stock valued at $209,000 after purchasing an additional 390 shares during the last quarter. Informed Momentum Co LLC boosted its holdings in shares of American Public Education by 1.5% in the 1st quarter. Informed Momentum Co LLC now owns 41,455 shares of the company's stock valued at $925,000 after buying an additional 609 shares in the last quarter. SummerHaven Investment Management LLC grew its position in shares of American Public Education by 1.5% in the 1st quarter. SummerHaven Investment Management LLC now owns 44,491 shares of the company's stock worth $993,000 after buying an additional 648 shares during the last quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. grew its position in shares of American Public Education by 2.7% in the 4th quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. now owns 35,291 shares of the company's stock worth $761,000 after buying an additional 943 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of American Public Education by 10.0% during the 4th quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 12,321 shares of the company's stock worth $266,000 after acquiring an additional 1,120 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.