Northland Securities Boosts American Public Education (NASDAQ:APEI) Price Target to $46.00

Key Points

• Northland Securities has increased its price target for American Public Education (APEI) from $38.00 to $46.00, indicating a potential upside of 20.75% from the current stock price.
• The stock has gained traction recently, trading up 2.0% on the day of the report, with a current market price of $38.10.
• American Public Education's quarterly earnings beat expectations, reporting a loss of ($0.02) per share, surpassing the consensus estimate of ($0.07).

American Public Education (NASDAQ:APEI - Get Free Report) had its target price increased by research analysts at Northland Securities from $38.00 to $46.00 in a research note issued on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has an "outperform" rating on the stock. Northland Securities' target price points to a potential upside of 20.75% from the company's current price.

A number of other brokerages also recently commented on APEI. Northland Capmk upgraded American Public Education to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 18th. Zacks Research upgraded American Public Education to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 12th. DA Davidson began coverage on American Public Education in a research note on Tuesday, September 9th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $40.00 target price on the stock. Barrington Research upped their price target on American Public Education from $36.00 to $40.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, B. Riley upped their price target 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. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, American Public Education has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $37.86.

American Public Education Trading Up 2.0%

Shares of American Public Education stock traded up $0.76 on Thursday, reaching $38.10. 40,145 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 203,050. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $31.41 and a 200-day moving average price of $28.03. The firm has a market capitalization of $688.26 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.88, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.12 and a beta of 1.61. The company has a current ratio of 2.83, a quick ratio of 2.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. American Public Education has a fifty-two week low of $13.45 and a fifty-two week high of $38.32.

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Osaic Holdings Inc. boosted its position in shares of American Public Education by 5,909.5% in the 2nd quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. now owns 1,262 shares of the company's stock worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 1,241 shares during the last quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC boosted its position in shares of American Public Education by 96.5% in the 2nd quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 2,643 shares of the company's stock worth $81,000 after purchasing an additional 1,298 shares during the last quarter. Man Group plc bought a new position in American Public Education during the second quarter worth about $244,000. Manatuck Hill Partners LLC bought a new position in American Public Education during the second quarter worth about $3,503,000. Finally, Militia Capital Partners LP lifted its holdings in American Public Education by 7.2% during the second quarter. Militia Capital Partners LP now owns 7,432 shares of the company's stock worth $226,000 after acquiring an additional 500 shares in the last quarter. 79.62% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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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