American Public Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:APEI) Receives $26.50 Consensus PT from Brokerages

American Public Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:APEI) has received a consensus recommendation of “Buy” from the five analysts that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold recommendation, three have assigned a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year target price among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $26.50.

Several research analysts have commented on the stock. Lake Street Capital initiated coverage on shares of American Public Education in a research note on Friday, April 25th. They set a “buy” rating and a $30.00 price objective for the company. Barrington Research reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $24.00 price objective on shares of American Public Education in a research report on Friday, March 7th. William Blair raised American Public Education from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, March 7th. B. Riley began coverage on American Public Education in a research note on Friday, March 28th. They set a “buy” rating and a $28.00 price target for the company. Finally, StockNews.com raised American Public Education from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, March 7th.

Insider Buying and Selling at American Public Education

In related news, SVP Thomas Beckett sold 3,700 shares of American Public Education stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $22.07, for a total value of $81,659.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 60,253 shares in the company, valued at $1,329,783.71. The trade was a 5.79 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 17.54% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. New York State Teachers Retirement System bought a new position in shares of American Public Education during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. R Squared Ltd bought a new stake in American Public Education during the fourth quarter valued at about $38,000. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its holdings in American Public Education by 19,594.1% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 3,348 shares of the company’s stock worth $75,000 after purchasing an additional 3,331 shares in the last quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of American Public Education in the 1st quarter valued at about $89,000. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC bought a new position in shares of American Public Education during the 4th quarter worth approximately $121,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.62% of the company’s stock.

American Public Education Price Performance

Shares of American Public Education stock opened at $23.85 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $430.16 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 42.59, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.05 and a beta of 1.47. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37, a quick ratio of 2.65 and a current ratio of 2.65. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $22.54 and a 200-day moving average price of $20.78. American Public Education has a one year low of $11.80 and a one year high of $25.76.

About American Public Education

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.