American Public Education (NASDAQ:APEI) Stock Rating Raised to "Strong-Buy" at DA Davidson

Key Points

• DA Davidson upgraded American Public Education to “strong buy,” although other analysts have issued mixed ratings. The stock has an overall “moderate buy” consensus and an average price target of $59.38.
• APEI reported quarterly EPS of $0.52, beating the $0.36 analyst estimate, while revenue reached $171.73 million versus expectations of $170.88 million.
• Shares opened at $44.41, below their 50-day and 200-day moving averages, while institutional investors and hedge funds own approximately 79.6% of the company.

American Public Education (NASDAQ:APEI - Get Free Report) was upgraded by equities researchers at DA Davidson to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report issued on Monday, Zacks reports.

Several other brokerages also recently commented on APEI. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of American Public Education from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, August 15th. Weiss Ratings cut shares of American Public Education from a "buy (b)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. Zacks Research cut American Public Education from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, August 11th. Finally, Lake Street Capital upped their price target on shares of American Public Education from $62.00 to $64.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, August 11th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have assigned a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, American Public Education presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $59.38.

American Public Education Price Performance

Shares of APEI opened at $44.41 on Monday. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $45.71 and its 200 day simple moving average is $51.54. American Public Education has a 1-year low of $30.20 and a 1-year high of $61.59. The company has a market cap of $812.70 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.28, a PEG ratio of 1.11 and a beta of 1.41. The company has a current ratio of 3.25, a quick ratio of 3.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26.

American Public Education (NASDAQ:APEI - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Monday, August 10th. The company reported $0.52 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.36 by $0.16. The company had revenue of $171.73 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $170.88 million. American Public Education had a net margin of 6.84% and a return on equity of 15.30%. American Public Education has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.480-2.790 EPS and its Q3 2026 guidance at 0.180-0.290 EPS. On average, research analysts forecast that American Public Education will post 2.63 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of American Public Education

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Tidal Investments LLC bought a new stake in shares of American Public Education in the 2nd quarter valued at $399,000. Engineers Gate Manager LP grew its holdings in American Public Education by 26.5% in the second quarter. Engineers Gate Manager LP now owns 34,006 shares of the company's stock worth $1,826,000 after purchasing an additional 7,132 shares during the period. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC bought a new stake in American Public Education in the second quarter valued at $47,000. IFP Advisors Inc increased its stake in American Public Education by 111.8% in the second quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 2,360 shares of the company's stock valued at $127,000 after purchasing an additional 1,246 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Squarepoint Ops LLC raised its stake in American Public Education by 329.7% during the 2nd quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC now owns 48,287 shares of the company's stock worth $2,593,000 after buying an additional 37,049 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.62% of the company's stock.

American Public Education Company Profile

American Public Education, Inc NASDAQ: APEI is a provider of postsecondary education and career-focused learning programs. Through its institutions, the company offers undergraduate and graduate degrees, certificates, professional development, and vocational training in areas including business, public service, healthcare, nursing, technology, and related fields.

APEI's principal education platforms include American Public University System, which operates American Public University and American Military University; Rasmussen University; and Hondros College of Nursing.

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