American Public Education (NASDAQ:APEI) Hits New 52-Week High – Still a Buy?

American Public Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:APEI)’s stock price reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Friday . The company traded as high as $45.69 and last traded at $45.0040, with a volume of 8412 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $44.28.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have commented on APEI shares. Lake Street Capital reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $47.00 target price on shares of American Public Education in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Barrington Research restated an “outperform” rating and set a $40.00 price objective on shares of American Public Education in a report on Tuesday, November 11th. B. Riley Financial increased their target price on American Public Education from $40.00 to $53.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 27th. Truist Financial raised their price target on American Public Education from $35.00 to $38.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, November 21st. Finally, Griffin Securities set a $53.00 price target on American Public Education in a report on Tuesday, January 27th. 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 company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, American Public Education has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $46.43.

American Public Education Stock Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 2.84, a current ratio of 2.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34. The company has a market cap of $811.61 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.01, a PEG ratio of 1.34 and a beta of 1.71. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $39.06 and a 200 day simple moving average of $35.50.

American Public Education (NASDAQ:APEI) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, November 10th. The company reported $0.30 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.09) by $0.39. American Public Education had a net margin of 4.87% and a return on equity of 11.75%. The firm had revenue of $163.22 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $160.02 million. American Public Education has set its Q4 2025 guidance at 0.320-0.450 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that American Public Education, Inc. will post 0.47 EPS for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On American Public Education

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of American Public Education by 4.3% during the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 9,386 shares of the company’s stock valued at $209,000 after acquiring an additional 390 shares in the last quarter. Police & Firemen s Retirement System of New Jersey raised its position in American Public Education by 14.8% in the second quarter. Police & Firemen s Retirement System of New Jersey now owns 3,625 shares of the company’s stock valued at $110,000 after purchasing an additional 468 shares during the last quarter. Militia Capital Partners LP boosted its stake in shares of American Public Education by 7.2% during the second quarter. Militia Capital Partners LP now owns 7,432 shares of the company’s stock valued at $226,000 after purchasing an additional 500 shares in the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc boosted its stake in shares of American Public Education by 40.5% during the second quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 1,914 shares of the company’s stock valued at $58,000 after purchasing an additional 552 shares in the last quarter. Finally, State of Wyoming grew its holdings in shares of American Public Education by 4.9% during the third quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 12,209 shares of the company’s stock worth $482,000 after purchasing an additional 569 shares during the last quarter. 79.62% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About American Public Education

American Public Education, Inc operates as a provider of online postsecondary education, offering degree and certificate programs through its wholly owned subsidiary, American Public University System (APUS). The company designs and delivers a broad range of undergraduate and graduate programs in fields such as business administration, information technology, criminal justice, homeland security, health sciences, and education. Its curriculum is developed to meet the needs of working adults, military personnel, veterans and civilian students seeking flexible, career-relevant learning opportunities.

APUS is regionally accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education and employs a proprietary online learning platform that supports asynchronous instruction, digital course materials and interactive learning tools.