American Public Education (NASDAQ:APEI) Hits New 1-Year High Following Analyst Upgrade

Shares of American Public Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:APEI) hit a new 52-week high during trading on Tuesday after Barrington Research raised their price target on the stock from $36.00 to $40.00. Barrington Research currently has an outperform rating on the stock. American Public Education traded as high as $36.93 and last traded at $36.95, with a volume of 57116 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $36.44.

Several other analysts also recently commented on APEI. Griffin Securities set a $37.00 target price on shares of American Public Education in a report on Thursday, August 7th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of American Public Education to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 12th. Northland Capmk upgraded shares of American Public Education to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, June 18th. Northland Securities started coverage on shares of American Public Education in a report on Wednesday, June 18th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $36.00 target price for the company. Finally, B. Riley increased their target price on shares of American Public Education from $36.00 to $37.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, August 7th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, American Public Education currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $36.43.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On American Public Education

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Osaic Holdings Inc. grew its position in American Public Education by 5,909.5% during the second quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. now owns 1,262 shares of the company’s stock valued at $38,000 after buying an additional 1,241 shares during the period. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC boosted its position in American Public Education by 96.5% during the second 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 period. 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 boosted its position 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 purchasing an additional 500 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 79.62% of the company’s stock.

American Public Education Price Performance

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 stock has a market cap of $667.33 million, a P/E ratio of 34.84, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.09 and a beta of 1.61. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $31.28 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $27.97.

American Public Education (NASDAQ:APEI) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, August 6th. The company reported ($0.02) earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.07) by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $162.77 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $160.88 million. American Public Education had a net margin of 4.44% and a return on equity of 10.82%. Sell-side analysts expect that American Public Education, Inc. will post 0.47 EPS for the current 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.