American Public Education (NASDAQ:APEI) Price Target Raised to $24.00

American Public Education (NASDAQ:APEI) had its target price lifted by Barrington Research from $20.00 to $24.00 in a research note published on Wednesday morning, Benzinga reports. Barrington Research currently has an outperform rating on the stock.

Several other brokerages have also recently commented on APEI. StockNews.com raised shares of American Public Education from a buy rating to a strong-buy rating in a report on Thursday, May 16th. B. Riley lifted their price objective on shares of American Public Education from $15.00 to $16.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 30th.

American Public Education Trading Down 4.0 %

Shares of APEI stock opened at $17.74 on Wednesday. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $17.72 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $14.82. The company has a quick ratio of 2.81, a current ratio of 2.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38. The company has a market capitalization of $311.87 million, a PE ratio of -6.77, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 1.31. American Public Education has a 12-month low of $4.05 and a 12-month high of $21.04.

American Public Education (NASDAQ:APEI) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 7th. The company reported ($0.06) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.19) by $0.13. American Public Education had a negative net margin of 6.78% and a positive return on equity of 5.97%. The firm had revenue of $154.43 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $152.34 million. As a group, analysts predict that American Public Education will post 0.72 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other American Public Education news, EVP Craig S. Macgibbon sold 6,519 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $17.35, for a total transaction of $113,104.65. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 37,751 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $654,979.85. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In other American Public Education news, EVP Craig S. Macgibbon sold 6,519 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $17.35, for a total transaction of $113,104.65. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 37,751 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $654,979.85. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Craig S. Macgibbon sold 1,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, May 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $18.40, for a total transaction of $27,600.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 41,783 shares in the company, valued at approximately $768,807.20. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 11.38% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On American Public Education

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of APEI. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lifted its holdings in shares of American Public Education by 329.5% during the second quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 425,064 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,473,000 after purchasing an additional 326,091 shares during the period. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of American Public Education during the first quarter worth $2,159,000. Acadian Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of American Public Education by 5,036.3% during the first quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 87,830 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,246,000 after purchasing an additional 86,120 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC acquired a new position in shares of American Public Education during the first quarter worth $799,000. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp acquired a new position in shares of American Public Education during the second quarter worth $880,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.62% of the company’s stock.

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.