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

American Public Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:APEI)’s share price hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Thursday . The company traded as high as $46.45 and last traded at $46.0980, with a volume of 10676 shares. The stock had previously closed at $45.64.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of American Public Education in a report on Monday, December 29th. Lake Street Capital reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $47.00 price target on shares of American Public Education in a report on Friday, January 30th. DA Davidson upped their price objective on American Public Education from $43.00 to $48.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. Zacks Research upgraded American Public Education from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, January 12th. Finally, Griffin Securities set a $53.00 target price on shares of American Public Education in a research report on Tuesday, January 27th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $47.14.

American Public Education Stock Performance

The company has a current ratio of 2.84, a quick ratio of 2.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $41.49 and its 200 day moving average is $37.00. The stock has a market capitalization of $828.65 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.71, a PEG ratio of 1.37 and a beta of 1.71.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On American Public Education

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of APEI. Osaic Holdings Inc. lifted its position in shares of American Public Education by 5,909.5% in the second quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. now owns 1,262 shares of the company’s stock valued at $38,000 after acquiring an additional 1,241 shares in the last quarter. Valley National Advisers Inc. purchased a new position in American Public Education in the 4th quarter valued at about $39,000. State of Alaska Department of Revenue purchased a new position in American Public Education in the 3rd quarter valued at about $40,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets boosted its stake 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 purchasing an additional 738 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Legal & General Group Plc grew its holdings in shares of American Public Education by 40.5% during the second quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 1,914 shares of the company’s stock worth $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.