American Public Education (NASDAQ:APEI) Hits New 1-Year High – Time to Buy?

American Public Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:APEI)’s stock price 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 traded. The stock had previously closed at $44.59.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently commented on the stock. Barrington Research reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $40.00 price objective on shares of American Public Education in a report on Tuesday, November 11th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of American Public Education in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Lake Street Capital restated 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 lifted 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. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded American Public Education from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, January 12th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, American Public Education has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $47.14.

American Public Education Stock Performance

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 stock has a fifty day moving average price of $40.50 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $36.32. The company has a market capitalization of $784.49 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.88, a PEG ratio of 1.33 and a beta of 1.71.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On American Public Education

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. grew its stake in American Public Education by 4.3% in the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 9,386 shares of the company’s stock worth $209,000 after acquiring an additional 390 shares during the period. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. grew its position in shares of American Public Education by 4.1% in the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 538,440 shares of the company’s stock valued at $12,018,000 after purchasing an additional 21,079 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC grew its position in shares of American Public Education by 7.4% in the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 97,294 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,172,000 after purchasing an additional 6,671 shares during the period. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC acquired a new position in American Public Education in the second quarter valued at $297,000. Finally, Regal Partners Ltd purchased a new position in American Public Education during the second quarter worth about $224,000. 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.