Barrington Research Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for American Public Education (NASDAQ:APEI) Stock

American Public Education (NASDAQ:APEI) had its price target hoisted by Barrington Research from $40.00 to $51.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has an “outperform” rating on the stock. Barrington Research’s price objective would indicate a potential upside of 9.58% from the company’s previous close.

Several other research firms also recently weighed in on APEI. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of American Public Education in a research note on Monday, December 29th. DA Davidson lifted their target price on shares of American Public Education from $43.00 to $48.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. Zacks Research raised shares of American Public Education from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, January 12th. Griffin Securities set a $53.00 price target on American Public Education in a report on Tuesday, January 27th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered American Public Education from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, December 1st. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, American Public Education presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $48.71.

American Public Education Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:APEI traded up $0.17 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $46.54. The company had a trading volume of 102,495 shares, compared to its average volume of 233,705. American Public Education has a one year low of $18.76 and a one year high of $47.27. 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 company’s 50-day moving average price is $41.82 and its 200-day moving average price is $37.35. The firm has a market cap of $841.44 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.26, a PEG ratio of 1.38 and a beta of 1.70.

Institutional Trading of American Public Education

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Osaic Holdings Inc. increased its stake in shares of 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 buying an additional 1,241 shares during the period. Valley National Advisers Inc. bought a new stake in American Public Education in the fourth quarter valued at $39,000. State of Alaska Department of Revenue purchased a new position in American Public Education during the 3rd quarter valued at $40,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets raised its holdings in American Public Education by 84.1% in 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Legal & General Group Plc lifted its position in shares of American Public Education by 40.5% in the 2nd quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 1,914 shares of the company’s stock worth $58,000 after purchasing an additional 552 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.62% of the company’s stock.

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.