B. Riley Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for American Public Education (NASDAQ:APEI) Stock

Key Points

• B. Riley increased their target price for American Public Education (APEI) from $36.00 to $37.00, suggesting a potential upside of 30.01% from the current stock price.
• American Public Education's shares experienced a 9.7% decline, trading at $28.46 amid fluctuations in the market.
• The company's quarterly earnings revealed a net margin of 3.86% and a return on equity of 9.96%, outperforming analyst expectations.

American Public Education (NASDAQ:APEI - Get Free Report) had its target price hoisted by investment analysts at B. Riley from $36.00 to $37.00 in a research note issued to investors on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a "buy" rating on the stock. B. Riley's target price indicates a potential upside of 30.01% from the stock's current price.

Several other brokerages also recently commented on APEI. Truist Financial upped their target price on shares of American Public Education from $24.00 to $30.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 14th. Northland Capmk upgraded American Public Education to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 18th. Barrington Research increased their target price on shares of American Public Education from $24.00 to $32.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 13th. Northland Securities initiated coverage on shares of American Public Education in a report on Wednesday, June 18th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $36.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Lake Street Capital increased their price target on American Public Education from $30.00 to $35.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 13th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, five have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $34.00.

American Public Education Stock Down 9.7%

Shares of NASDAQ APEI traded down $3.07 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $28.46. 254,083 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 191,923. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a quick ratio of 3.27 and a current ratio of 3.27. American Public Education has a fifty-two week low of $11.83 and a fifty-two week high of $32.24. The company's fifty day moving average is $29.48 and its two-hundred day moving average is $25.51. The stock has a market cap of $513.42 million, a PE ratio of 27.75, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 1.60.

American Public Education (NASDAQ:APEI - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 6th. The company reported ($0.02) earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.07) by $0.05. The company had revenue of $162.77 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $160.88 million. American Public Education had a return on equity of 9.96% and a net margin of 3.86%. On average, analysts expect that American Public Education will post 0.47 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other American Public Education news, insider Nuno S. Fernandes sold 7,272 shares of American Public Education stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $27.11, for a total transaction of $197,143.92. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 85,459 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,316,793.49. The trade was a 7.84% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director 325 Capital Llc sold 214,396 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, June 6th. The stock was 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 directly owned 1,181,005 shares in the company, valued at approximately $33,115,380.20. The trade was a 15.36% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 669,736 shares of company stock valued at $19,211,182 in the last 90 days. 17.54% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On American Public Education

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 56,674 shares during the period. Ameriprise Financial Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 34,817 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew 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 buying an additional 63,103 shares in the last quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of American Public Education by 124.8% in the second quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 668,130 shares of the company's stock valued at $20,342,000 after purchasing an additional 370,894 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Goldman Sachs Group Inc. lifted its position in American Public Education by 4.1% in the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 538,440 shares of the company's stock worth $12,018,000 after buying an additional 21,079 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors 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.

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