American Public Education (NASDAQ:APEI) Stock Dropped to Hold by Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of American Public Education (NASDAQ:APEI) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report released on Saturday,Wall Street Zen reports.

Several other analysts have also recently issued reports on the company. Weiss Ratings cut American Public Education from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Thursday, October 15th. Truist Financial reduced their price target on American Public Education from $55.00 to $41.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday. Lake Street Capital lifted their price target on American Public Education from $62.00 to $64.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 11th. DA Davidson raised shares of American Public Education to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, October 5th. Finally, Zacks Research lowered shares of American Public Education from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 11th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have assigned a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $57.62.

American Public Education Price Performance

APEI traded down $0.28 during trading on Friday, reaching $40.88. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 145,670 shares, compared to its average volume of 269,379. The company has a market cap of $744.02 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.69, a PEG ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.49. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $44.30 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $49.51. American Public Education has a 1 year low of $32.96 and a 1 year high of $61.59. The company has a quick ratio of 3.25, a current ratio of 2.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26.

American Public Education (NASDAQ:APEI) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, November 9th. The company reported $0.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.26 by $0.06. American Public Education had a return on equity of 14.99% and a net margin of 6.83%. The business had revenue of $169.14 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $165.79 million. As a group, analysts anticipate that American Public Education will post 2.70 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider James Kenigsberg sold 1,256 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $47.69, for a total value of $59,898.64. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 43,473 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,073,227.37. This represents a 2.81% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Corporate insiders own 10.60% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On American Public Education

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC grew its stake in American Public Education by 4.1% during the 3rd quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 12,656 shares of the company’s stock worth $534,000 after purchasing an additional 494 shares in the last quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in American Public Education by 868.3% during the 3rd quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 610 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 547 shares during the period. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC purchased a new stake in American Public Education during the 2nd quarter worth about $47,000. Parallel Advisors LLC increased its holdings in American Public Education by 9.4% during the 3rd quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 11,400 shares of the company’s stock worth $481,000 after purchasing an additional 980 shares during the period. Finally, IFP Advisors Inc raised its position in American Public Education by 111.8% in the 2nd quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 2,360 shares of the company’s stock valued at $127,000 after purchasing an additional 1,246 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.62% of the company’s stock.

American Public Education Company Profile

American Public Education, Inc. (APEI) is a provider of higher education through a portfolio of institutions that includes American Public University System, Rasmussen University and Hondros College of Nursing. Its offerings span online and campus-based programs in areas such as nursing and health care, business, technology, education and public service. American Public University System includes American Military University and American Public University. Founded in 1991 as American Military University, it delivers online programs to military-affiliated students, public-service professionals and other learners in the United States and abroad.