American Public Education (NASDAQ:APEI) Given New $32.00 Price Target at Barrington Research

American Public Education (NASDAQ:APEI) had its price objective upped by equities research analysts at Barrington Research from $24.00 to $32.00 in a report issued on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an “outperform” rating on the stock. Barrington Research’s price objective points to a potential upside of 16.07% from the company’s previous close.

Other equities analysts also recently issued reports about the company. William Blair upgraded American Public Education from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, March 7th. StockNews.com upgraded American Public Education from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, March 7th. B. Riley initiated coverage on American Public Education in a research report on Friday, March 28th. They set a “buy” rating and a $28.00 price objective for the company. Truist Financial raised their price objective on American Public Education from $20.00 to $24.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, March 10th. Finally, Lake Street Capital initiated coverage on American Public Education in a research report on Friday, April 25th. They set a “buy” rating and a $30.00 price objective for the company. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, four have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $31.25.

American Public Education Price Performance

American Public Education stock opened at $27.57 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 2.65, a quick ratio of 2.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37. The company has a market capitalization of $497.25 million, a PE ratio of 49.23, a P/E/G ratio of 1.05 and a beta of 1.56. American Public Education has a 12 month low of $11.80 and a 12 month high of $30.09. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $23.59 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $21.59.

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, SVP Thomas Beckett sold 3,700 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $22.07, for a total transaction of $81,659.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 60,253 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,329,783.71. This trade represents a 5.79% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 17.54% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On American Public Education

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Hsbc Holdings PLC grew its stake in American Public Education by 5.7% in the first quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 26,413 shares of the company’s stock valued at $589,000 after acquiring an additional 1,427 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. grew its stake in American Public Education by 1.7% in the first quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 516,266 shares of the company’s stock valued at $11,523,000 after acquiring an additional 8,550 shares during the period. Russell Investments Group Ltd. grew its stake in American Public Education by 783.2% in the first quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 93,011 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,076,000 after acquiring an additional 82,480 shares during the period. Informed Momentum Co LLC grew its stake in American Public Education by 1.5% in the first quarter. Informed Momentum Co LLC now owns 41,455 shares of the company’s stock valued at $925,000 after acquiring an additional 609 shares during the period. Finally, Nuveen LLC acquired a new stake in American Public Education in the first quarter valued at approximately $641,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.62% of the company’s stock.

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.