American Public Education (NASDAQ:APEI) Coverage Initiated by Analysts at B. Riley

Equities researchers at B. Riley began coverage on shares of American Public Education (NASDAQ:APEI) in a note issued to investors on Friday. The firm set a “buy” rating and a $28.00 price target on the stock. B. Riley’s target price would suggest a potential upside of 21.05% from the company’s previous close.

Several other brokerages also recently commented on APEI. William Blair upgraded American Public Education from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, March 7th. Truist Financial increased their price objective on American Public Education from $20.00 to $24.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, March 10th. StockNews.com raised American Public Education from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, March 7th. Finally, Barrington Research restated an “outperform” rating and set a $24.00 target price on shares of American Public Education in a research note on Friday, March 7th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, three have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $25.33.

American Public Education Trading Up 0.9 %

Shares of NASDAQ APEI opened at $23.13 on Friday. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $21.86 and its 200-day moving average price is $19.26. American Public Education has a 52-week low of $11.80 and a 52-week high of $25.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37, a quick ratio of 2.65 and a current ratio of 2.65. The company has a market cap of $416.25 million, a PE ratio of 41.30, a P/E/G ratio of 1.05 and a beta of 1.30.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other American Public Education news, SVP Thomas Beckett sold 3,700 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $22.07, for a total value of $81,659.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 60,253 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,329,783.71. This represents a 5.79 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 11.38% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On American Public Education

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Bastion Asset Management Inc. bought a new stake in American Public Education during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $9,563,000. Invesco Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of American Public Education by 379.5% during the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 282,325 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,090,000 after acquiring an additional 223,447 shares during the last quarter. LSV Asset Management grew its position in shares of American Public Education by 649.4% during the 4th quarter. LSV Asset Management now owns 214,551 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,628,000 after acquiring an additional 185,920 shares during the period. Pacific Ridge Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of American Public Education in the 4th quarter worth $2,287,000. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its holdings in American Public Education by 9.2% in the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 750,912 shares of the company’s stock worth $16,197,000 after purchasing an additional 63,103 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.62% of the company’s stock.

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.