American Public Education (NASDAQ:APEI) Sets New 12-Month High – Should You Buy?

American Public Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:APEI) hit a new 52-week high on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $46.49 and last traded at $46.37, with a volume of 279421 shares. The stock had previously closed at $46.07.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have commented on APEI. Griffin Securities set a $53.00 price objective on American Public Education in a report on Tuesday, January 27th. Zacks Research raised 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 shares of American Public Education from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, December 1st. Northland Securities set a $51.00 price objective on shares of American Public Education in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. Finally, Barrington Research restated an “outperform” rating and set a $40.00 target price 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 issued a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, American Public Education presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $47.14.

American Public Education Stock Performance

The stock has a 50 day moving average of $41.82 and a 200 day moving average of $37.35. The company has a quick ratio of 2.84, a current ratio of 2.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34. The firm has a market cap of $838.37 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.13, a P/E/G ratio of 1.38 and a beta of 1.70.

Institutional Trading of American Public Education

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in APEI. Osaic Holdings Inc. raised its position in American Public Education by 5,909.5% during the second quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. now owns 1,262 shares of the company’s stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 1,241 shares in the last quarter. Valley National Advisers Inc. bought a new position in shares of American Public Education in the 4th quarter valued at $39,000. State of Alaska Department of Revenue acquired a new position in shares of American Public Education during the 3rd quarter worth $40,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its position in shares of American Public Education by 84.1% during the 2nd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 1,616 shares of the company’s stock worth $49,000 after buying an additional 738 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Legal & General Group Plc boosted its stake in American Public Education by 40.5% in the second quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 1,914 shares of the company’s stock valued at $58,000 after buying an additional 552 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.62% of the company’s stock.

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.