American Public Education (NASDAQ:APEI) Issues Quarterly Earnings Results, Beats Expectations By $0.16 EPS

American Public Education (NASDAQ:APEI) issued its earnings results on Monday. The company reported $0.52 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.36 by $0.16, FiscalAI reports. The business had revenue of $171.73 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $170.88 million. American Public Education had a return on equity of 14.02% and a net margin of 6.13%.

American Public Education Stock Down 7.5%

Shares of APEI stock traded down $3.85 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $47.39. The company had a trading volume of 549,255 shares, compared to its average volume of 303,675. The company has a market cap of $869.13 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.07, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.32 and a beta of 1.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 2.98 and a quick ratio of 2.98. American Public Education has a 12 month low of $27.74 and a 12 month high of $61.59. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $52.82 and a 200-day simple moving average of $51.69.

Insider Transactions at American Public Education

In related news, SVP Thomas Beckett sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, June 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $54.00, for a total value of $108,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 52,172 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,817,288. This represents a 3.69% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Company insiders own 10.60% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On American Public Education

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of APEI. Osaic Holdings Inc. raised its holdings in shares of American Public Education by 5,909.5% in the second quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. now owns 1,262 shares of the company’s stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 1,241 shares during 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 valued at $49,000 after purchasing an additional 738 shares in the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc boosted its holdings in American Public Education by 40.5% during the second 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 last quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC boosted its holdings in American Public Education by 96.5% during the second quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 2,643 shares of the company’s stock worth $81,000 after purchasing an additional 1,298 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Meeder Asset Management Inc. grew its position in American Public Education by 259.6% in the 4th quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 5,276 shares of the company’s stock worth $199,000 after purchasing an additional 3,809 shares in the last quarter. 79.62% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

APEI has been the subject of several research analyst reports. DA Davidson reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $64.00 price objective on shares of American Public Education in a research note on Monday, June 1st. B. Riley Financial boosted their target price on American Public Education from $67.00 to $68.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 12th. Wall Street Zen upgraded American Public Education from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Sunday, July 12th. Lake Street Capital reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $62.00 price objective on shares of American Public Education in a research note on Tuesday, May 12th. Finally, Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of American Public Education from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, American Public Education currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $59.12.

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.