American Public Education (NASDAQ:APEI) Reaches New 1-Year High – Here’s What Happened

Shares of American Public Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:APEI) reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $47.54 and last traded at $47.5950, with a volume of 198933 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $45.74.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

APEI has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Northland Securities set a $51.00 target price on American Public Education in a research report on Wednesday, February 18th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of American Public Education from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, January 12th. Wall Street Zen lowered American Public Education from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, December 1st. Lake Street Capital reissued a “buy” rating and set a $47.00 target price on shares of American Public Education in a report on Friday, January 30th. Finally, Griffin Securities set a $53.00 price target on American Public Education in a research note on Tuesday, January 27th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have given a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $48.71.

American Public Education Trading Up 3.6%

The business has a 50-day moving average of $42.78 and a 200-day moving average of $37.94. The stock has a market capitalization of $857.23 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.27, a PEG ratio of 1.36 and a beta of 1.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a quick ratio of 2.84 and a current ratio of 2.84.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On American Public Education

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Pacer Advisors Inc. grew its stake in shares of American Public Education by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 63,644 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,406,000 after acquiring an additional 652 shares in the last quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp grew its holdings in American Public Education by 6.5% during the 4th quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 51,377 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,919,000 after acquiring an additional 3,141 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC increased its position in shares of American Public Education by 1.1% in the 4th quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 110,614 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,181,000 after purchasing an additional 1,150 shares during the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC bought a new position in shares of American Public Education during the fourth quarter worth about $997,000. Finally, Engineers Gate Manager LP grew its stake in American Public Education by 99.9% in the fourth quarter. Engineers Gate Manager LP now owns 12,270 shares of the company’s stock worth $464,000 after purchasing an additional 6,132 shares in the last quarter. 79.62% of the stock is currently 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.