American Public Education (NASDAQ:APEI) Stock Rating Cut to Hold at Wall Street Zen

Key Points

• Wall Street Zen downgraded American Public Education from Buy to Hold. Other analyst views are mixed, though MarketBeat’s consensus remains “Moderate Buy” with an average price target of $57.62.
• Recent price-target moves varied: B. Riley raised its target to $68 and Lake Street to $64, while Truist cut its target to $41 and maintained a Hold rating.
• APEI reported quarterly earnings of $0.32 per share, beating the $0.26 consensus, and revenue of $169.14 million, above estimates of $165.79 million.

American Public Education (NASDAQ:APEI - Get Free Report) was downgraded by equities research analysts at Wall Street Zen from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note issued to investors on Saturday, Wall Street Zen reports.

APEI has been the topic of a number of other research reports. B. Riley Financial increased their price target on American Public Education from $65.00 to $68.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday. Zacks Research cut shares of American Public Education from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 11th. Lake Street Capital upped their price objective on shares of American Public Education from $62.00 to $64.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, August 11th. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of American Public Education from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 15th. Finally, Truist Financial dropped their price objective on shares of American Public Education from $55.00 to $41.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have issued a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $57.62.

American Public Education Trading Down 0.7%

Shares of NASDAQ:APEI opened at $40.88 on Friday. American Public Education has a 52-week low of $32.96 and a 52-week high of $61.59. The company has a market capitalization of $744.02 million, a P/E ratio of 16.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.49. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $44.30 and a 200 day simple moving average of $49.51. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26, a quick ratio of 3.25 and a current ratio of 2.91.

American Public Education (NASDAQ:APEI - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, November 9th. The company reported $0.32 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.26 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $169.14 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $165.79 million. American Public Education had a return on equity of 14.99% and a net margin of 6.83%. Sell-side analysts forecast that American Public Education will post 2.70 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Transactions at American Public Education

In other American Public Education news, insider James Kenigsberg sold 1,256 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $47.69, for a total value of $59,898.64. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 43,473 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,073,227.37. The trade was a 2.81% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 10.60% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On American Public Education

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Sterling Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of American Public Education by 868.3% in the third quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 610 shares of the company's stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 547 shares during the period. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC acquired a new stake in American Public Education during the second quarter worth approximately $47,000. IFP Advisors Inc increased its stake in American Public Education by 111.8% during the 2nd quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 2,360 shares of the company's stock worth $127,000 after acquiring an additional 1,246 shares during the period. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC increased its stake in American Public Education by 102.6% during the 3rd quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 2,865 shares of the company's stock worth $121,000 after acquiring an additional 1,451 shares during the period. Finally, Arizona State Retirement System bought a new position in American Public Education during the 2nd quarter worth $245,000. 79.62% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About American Public Education

American Public Education, Inc. (APEI) is a provider of higher education through a portfolio of institutions that includes American Public University System, Rasmussen University and Hondros College of Nursing. Its offerings span online and campus-based programs in areas such as nursing and health care, business, technology, education and public service. American Public University System includes American Military University and American Public University. Founded in 1991 as American Military University, it delivers online programs to military-affiliated students, public-service professionals and other learners in the United States and abroad.

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