American Public Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:APEI) Receives Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

Shares of American Public Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:APEI) have received an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the five brokerages that are covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price target among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $31.25.

APEI has been the subject of several research analyst reports. B. Riley reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of American Public Education in a research report on Tuesday, May 13th. StockNews.com upgraded American Public Education from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, March 7th. Lake Street Capital increased their price objective on American Public Education from $30.00 to $35.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 13th. Barrington Research boosted their target price on American Public Education from $24.00 to $32.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 13th. Finally, Truist Financial upped their target price 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.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other American Public Education news, insider Nuno S. Fernandes sold 7,272 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $27.11, for a total transaction of $197,143.92. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 85,459 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,316,793.49. This represents a 7.84% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, SVP Thomas Beckett sold 3,700 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $22.07, for a total transaction of $81,659.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 60,253 shares in the company, valued at $1,329,783.71. The trade was a 5.79% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 17.54% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of American Public Education

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. American Century Companies Inc. increased its holdings in American Public Education by 8.0% during the 4th quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 507,716 shares of the company’s stock valued at $10,951,000 after purchasing an additional 37,492 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its position in shares of American Public Education by 10.0% in the 4th quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 12,321 shares of the company’s stock worth $266,000 after buying an additional 1,120 shares during the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its position in shares of American Public Education by 29.9% in the 4th quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 57,921 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,249,000 after buying an additional 13,344 shares during the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC purchased a new position in shares of American Public Education during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $121,000. Finally, Alberta Investment Management Corp bought a new position in shares of American Public Education during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $858,000. 79.62% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

American Public Education Stock Up 5.5%

APEI opened at $29.38 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $530.02 million, a P/E ratio of 52.46, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.05 and a beta of 1.56. American Public Education has a one year low of $11.80 and a one year high of $30.09. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $23.93 and a 200-day moving average price of $21.96. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37, a current ratio of 2.65 and a quick ratio of 2.65.

American Public Education (NASDAQ:APEI) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, May 12th. The company reported $0.41 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.15 by $0.26. The company had revenue of $164.55 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $161.92 million. American Public Education had a return on equity of 6.96% and a net margin of 2.64%. Equities research analysts expect that American Public Education will post 0.47 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.