DA Davidson Initiates Coverage on American Public Education (NASDAQ:APEI)

Key Points

• DA Davidson has initiated coverage on American Public Education (NASDAQ:APEI), setting a "buy" rating with a price target of $40.00, indicating a potential upside of 24.03% from the last closing price.
• The stock has received a mix of ratings, with one analyst giving a Strong Buy, six rating it as Buy, and two as Hold, resulting in an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $35.86.
• In its latest earnings report, American Public Education beat consensus estimates with an EPS of ($0.02) and reported revenue of $162.77 million, surpassing expectations of $160.88 million.

Analysts at DA Davidson started coverage on shares of American Public Education (NASDAQ:APEI - Get Free Report) in a research note issued on Tuesday, Marketbeat reports. The brokerage set a "buy" rating and a $40.00 price target on the stock. DA Davidson's price target points to a potential upside of 12.01% from the company's previous close.

Other research analysts have also issued reports about the stock. Barrington Research boosted their price target on shares of American Public Education from $32.00 to $36.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, August 11th. Griffin Securities set a $37.00 target price on shares of American Public Education in a research report on Thursday, August 7th. Truist Financial upped their target price on shares of American Public Education from $24.00 to $30.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 14th. Northland Securities initiated coverage on shares of American Public Education in a research report on Wednesday, June 18th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $36.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Lake Street Capital upped their target price 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 equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $35.86.

American Public Education Stock Performance

Shares of American Public Education stock traded up $0.38 on Tuesday, reaching $35.71. 247,876 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 248,858. American Public Education has a 1-year low of $13.45 and a 1-year high of $35.97. The company has a current ratio of 2.83, a quick ratio of 2.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $30.55 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $27.22. The firm has a market capitalization of $645.17 million, a PE ratio of 33.69, a PEG ratio of 2.02 and a beta of 1.61.

American Public Education (NASDAQ:APEI - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 6th. The company reported ($0.02) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.07) by $0.05. American Public Education had a net margin of 4.44% and a return on equity of 10.82%. The business had revenue of $162.77 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $160.88 million. As a group, research analysts anticipate that American Public Education will post 0.47 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of American Public Education

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of APEI. Acadian Asset Management LLC lifted 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. Royce & Associates LP purchased a new stake in shares of American Public Education in the first quarter valued at about $5,319,000. CSM Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of American Public Education in the second quarter valued at about $6,723,000. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership lifted its holdings in shares of American Public Education by 76.1% in the second quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 389,586 shares of the company's stock valued at $11,867,000 after purchasing an additional 168,362 shares in the last quarter. Finally, 4D Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of American Public Education by 111.1% in the second quarter. 4D Advisors LLC now owns 285,000 shares of the company's stock valued at $8,681,000 after purchasing an additional 150,000 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other 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.