American Public Education (NASDAQ:APEI) Stock Crosses Above 200 Day Moving Average – Time to Sell?

American Public Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:APEI)’s stock price passed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Tuesday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $41.09 and traded as high as $58.49. American Public Education shares last traded at $57.19, with a volume of 235,905 shares changing hands.

Analyst Ratings Changes

APEI has been the topic of several research reports. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of American Public Education in a research report on Monday, December 29th. DA Davidson lifted their target price on shares of American Public Education from $48.00 to $58.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, March 16th. Northland Securities set a $51.00 price target on shares of American Public Education in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. Lake Street Capital lifted their target price on shares of American Public Education from $47.00 to $56.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, March 13th. Finally, Zacks Research raised shares of American Public Education from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, January 12th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $55.50.

American Public Education Price Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 3.46, a current ratio of 3.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.05 billion, a PE ratio of 42.05, a PEG ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 1.49. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $48.78 and its 200-day simple moving average is $41.09.

American Public Education (NASDAQ:APEI) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, March 12th. The company reported $0.67 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.39 by $0.28. American Public Education had a net margin of 4.86% and a return on equity of 11.30%. The business had revenue of $158.33 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $151.61 million. American Public Education has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 0.580-0.640 EPS. On average, research analysts forecast that American Public Education, Inc. will post 0.47 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other American Public Education news, insider Nuno S. Fernandes sold 6,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $53.87, for a total transaction of $350,155.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 84,175 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,534,507.25. This represents a 7.17% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, SVP Tanya Joy Axenson sold 20,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.68, for a total transaction of $1,113,600.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 49,917 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,779,378.56. This represents a 28.61% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 377,071 shares of company stock valued at $20,753,569 over the last three months. Corporate insiders own 17.54% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of American Public Education

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of American Public Education by 1.7% in the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 1,086,727 shares of the company’s stock worth $42,893,000 after purchasing an additional 17,902 shares during the period. Renaissance Technologies LLC boosted its position in shares of American Public Education by 3.7% during the fourth quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 962,920 shares of the company’s stock worth $36,398,000 after acquiring an additional 34,700 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its stake in American Public Education by 1.8% during the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 847,320 shares of the company’s stock valued at $32,028,000 after purchasing an additional 15,277 shares in the last quarter. No Street GP LP purchased a new stake in American Public Education during the third quarter valued at $32,365,000. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. raised its stake in American Public Education by 8.7% during the third quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 612,087 shares of the company’s stock valued at $24,159,000 after purchasing an additional 49,008 shares in the last quarter. 79.62% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other 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.