B. Riley Equities Analysts Lift Earnings Estimates for APEI

American Public Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:APEI) – Equities researchers at B. Riley lifted their FY2024 earnings estimates for American Public Education in a report released on Wednesday, November 13th. B. Riley analyst R. Sharma now expects that the company will post earnings per share of $0.51 for the year, up from their previous forecast of $0.48. B. Riley has a “Buy” rating and a $25.00 price objective on the stock. The consensus estimate for American Public Education’s current full-year earnings is $0.49 per share. B. Riley also issued estimates for American Public Education’s Q4 2024 earnings at $0.58 EPS and FY2025 earnings at $1.67 EPS.

Several other equities analysts also recently issued reports on the company. Truist Financial upped their target price on American Public Education from $15.00 to $20.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday. StockNews.com cut American Public Education from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Barrington Research upped their target price on American Public Education from $18.00 to $24.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday.

American Public Education Trading Down 7.1 %

Shares of American Public Education stock opened at $18.45 on Friday. American Public Education has a 12-month low of $5.41 and a 12-month high of $21.04. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $15.08 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $16.24. The company has a current ratio of 2.83, a quick ratio of 2.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37. The firm has a market capitalization of $326.57 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.95, a PEG ratio of 2.36 and a beta of 1.24.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On American Public Education

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Innealta Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of American Public Education during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Quarry LP raised its position in American Public Education by 94.0% during the second quarter. Quarry LP now owns 4,666 shares of the company’s stock worth $82,000 after acquiring an additional 2,261 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its holdings in American Public Education by 5.2% during the third quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 86,299 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,273,000 after purchasing an additional 4,288 shares in the last quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC grew its position in shares of American Public Education by 129.1% in the third quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 9,206 shares of the company’s stock valued at $136,000 after purchasing an additional 5,187 shares during the period. Finally, FMR LLC grew its position in shares of American Public Education by 350.3% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 11,658 shares of the company’s stock valued at $172,000 after purchasing an additional 9,069 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.62% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at American Public Education

In other American Public Education news, Director Michael David Braner purchased 59,179 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 20th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $14.05 per share, for a total transaction of $831,464.95. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 1,788,688 shares in the company, valued at approximately $25,131,066.40. This trade represents a 3.42 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders have purchased 117,983 shares of company stock worth $1,747,393 over the last quarter. 11.38% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

About American Public Education

American Public Education, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, provides online and campus-based postsecondary education and career learning in the United States. It operates through three segments: American Public University System, Rasmussen University, and Hondros College of Nursing. The company offers 184 degree programs and 134 certificate programs in various fields of study, including nursing, national security, military studies, intelligence, homeland security, business, health science, information technology, justice studies, education, and liberal arts; and career learning opportunities in leadership, finance, human resources, and other fields of study critical to the federal government workforce.