DA Davidson Begins 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.

Stock analysts at DA Davidson assumed coverage on shares of American Public Education (NASDAQ:APEI - Get Free Report) in a research report issued on Tuesday, Marketbeat Ratings reports. The firm set a "buy" rating and a $40.00 price target on the stock. DA Davidson's price objective would suggest a potential upside of 24.03% from the company's previous close.

Several other equities research analysts also recently issued reports on the company. Griffin Securities set a $37.00 price objective on American Public Education in a research note on Thursday, August 7th. B. Riley increased their price objective on American Public Education from $36.00 to $37.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 7th. Zacks Research raised American Public Education to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 12th. Barrington Research increased their price objective on American Public Education from $32.00 to $36.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, August 11th. Finally, Truist Financial increased their price objective 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. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $35.86.

American Public Education Trading Up 2.1%

Shares of NASDAQ APEI opened at $32.25 on Tuesday. American Public Education has a 12 month low of $13.45 and a 12 month high of $32.93. The company has a market cap of $582.76 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.42, a P/E/G ratio of 1.81 and a beta of 1.61. The company has a quick ratio of 2.83, a current ratio of 2.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $30.17 and a 200-day simple moving average of $26.89.

American Public Education (NASDAQ:APEI - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, August 6th. The company reported ($0.02) EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.07) by $0.05. American Public Education had a return on equity of 10.82% and a net margin of 4.44%.The business had revenue of $162.77 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $160.88 million. Sell-side analysts predict that American Public Education will post 0.47 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings 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 acquiring an additional 56,674 shares during the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. increased 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 acquiring an additional 34,817 shares during the last quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of American Public Education by 124.8% during the 2nd quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 668,130 shares of the company's stock valued at $20,342,000 after acquiring an additional 370,894 shares during the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. increased its holdings in shares of American Public Education by 9.1% during the 2nd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 563,079 shares of the company's stock valued at $17,151,000 after acquiring an additional 46,813 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Goldman Sachs Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of American Public Education by 4.1% during the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 538,440 shares of the company's stock valued at $12,018,000 after acquiring an additional 21,079 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.62% of the company's stock.

About American Public Education

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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