Barrington Research Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for American Public Education (NASDAQ:APEI) Stock

American Public Education (NASDAQ:APEI) had its price objective lifted by research analysts at Barrington Research from $40.00 to $51.00 in a report released on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has an “outperform” rating on the stock. Barrington Research’s target price points to a potential upside of 12.53% from the stock’s current price.

APEI has been the subject of a number of other research reports. Lake Street Capital reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $47.00 price objective on shares of American Public Education in a report on Friday, January 30th. DA Davidson lifted their price target on shares of American Public Education from $43.00 to $48.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. Northland Securities set a $51.00 target price on shares of American Public Education in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. Zacks Research raised American Public Education from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, January 12th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of American Public Education in a research report on Monday, December 29th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $48.71.

American Public Education Stock Performance

Shares of APEI opened at $45.32 on Wednesday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $42.15 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $37.46. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a current ratio of 2.84 and a quick ratio of 2.84. The firm has a market capitalization of $819.61 million, a PE ratio of 34.33, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.37 and a beta of 1.70. American Public Education has a one year low of $18.76 and a one year high of $47.27.

Institutional Trading of American Public Education

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Osaic Holdings Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 1,241 shares in the last quarter. Valley National Advisers Inc. purchased a new position in American Public Education in the 4th quarter worth about $39,000. State of Alaska Department of Revenue bought a new position in American Public Education during the 3rd quarter valued at about $40,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets boosted its holdings in shares of American Public Education by 84.1% during the 2nd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 1,616 shares of the company’s stock valued at $49,000 after acquiring an additional 738 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Legal & General Group Plc grew its stake in shares of American Public Education by 40.5% in the second quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 1,914 shares of the company’s stock worth $58,000 after acquiring an additional 552 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 79.62% of the company’s stock.

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.