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

American Public Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:APEI) shares hit a new 52-week high during trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $61.59 and last traded at $59.97, with a volume of 262997 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $60.86.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts recently commented on the stock. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of American Public Education from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, March 14th. Lake Street Capital boosted their price objective on shares of American Public Education from $47.00 to $56.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, March 13th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of American Public Education from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, January 12th. William Blair set a $58.00 price objective on shares of American Public Education in a report on Friday, March 13th. Finally, B. Riley Financial boosted their price objective on shares of American Public Education from $53.00 to $57.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, March 13th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have assigned a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $55.50.

American Public Education Stock Performance

The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $52.53 and its 200 day simple moving average is $42.75. The company has a quick ratio of 3.46, a current ratio of 3.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.13, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.49.

American Public Education (NASDAQ:APEI) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, March 12th. The company reported $0.67 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.39 by $0.28. American Public Education had a return on equity of 11.30% and a net margin of 4.86%.The firm had revenue of $158.33 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $151.61 million. American Public Education has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 0.580-0.640 EPS. Analysts expect that American Public Education, Inc. will post 2.38 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at American Public Education

In other news, insider Nuno S. Fernandes sold 6,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $53.87, for a total transaction of $350,155.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 84,175 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,534,507.25. This represents a 7.17% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CMO Karmela Gaffney sold 2,700 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.87, for a total transaction of $150,849.00. Following the transaction, the chief marketing officer owned 40,527 shares in the company, valued at $2,264,243.49. The trade was a 6.25% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 377,071 shares of company stock worth $20,753,569. 17.54% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On American Public Education

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. State of Alaska Department of Revenue acquired a new position in shares of American Public Education during the third quarter worth approximately $40,000. Valley National Advisers Inc. acquired a new position in shares of American Public Education during the fourth quarter worth approximately $39,000. Osaic Holdings Inc. lifted its position 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 worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 1,241 shares in the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its position in shares of American Public Education by 84.1% during the second 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 holdings 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 during the period. 79.62% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.