American Public Education (NASDAQ:APEI) Hits New 12-Month High – Still a Buy?

Shares of American Public Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:APEI) reached a new 52-week high on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $46.06 and last traded at $43.4180, with a volume of 10166 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $44.59.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

APEI has been the subject of a number of research reports. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of American Public Education in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Lake Street Capital restated a “buy” rating and set a $47.00 price objective on shares of American Public Education in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Truist Financial upped their price target on shares of American Public Education from $35.00 to $38.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, November 21st. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of American Public Education from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, December 1st. Finally, Barrington Research reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $40.00 price objective on shares of American Public Education in a research report on Tuesday, November 11th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $46.43.

American Public Education Stock Performance

The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $40.14 and a 200 day moving average price of $36.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a quick ratio of 2.84 and a current ratio of 2.84. The stock has a market cap of $793.08 million, a PE ratio of 33.23, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.33 and a beta of 1.71.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On American Public Education

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of APEI. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC acquired a new position in American Public Education in the second quarter valued at approximately $297,000. 4D Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of American Public Education by 111.1% during the 2nd quarter. 4D Advisors LLC now owns 285,000 shares of the company’s stock valued at $8,681,000 after purchasing an additional 150,000 shares in the last quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of American Public Education by 124.8% in the 2nd quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 668,130 shares of the company’s stock valued at $20,342,000 after purchasing an additional 370,894 shares during the period. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd purchased a new stake in American Public Education during the third quarter worth $821,000. Finally, Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership grew its position in American Public Education by 76.1% during the second quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 389,586 shares of the company’s stock valued at $11,867,000 after buying an additional 168,362 shares during the period. 79.62% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

American Public Education Company Profile

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.