B. Riley Initiates Coverage on American Public Education (NASDAQ:APEI)

B. Riley assumed coverage on shares of American Public Education (NASDAQ:APEI - Get Free Report) in a research note issued to investors on Friday. The firm set a "buy" rating and a $28.00 price target on the stock. B. Riley's price objective indicates a potential upside of 23.84% from the stock's previous close. B. Riley also issued estimates for American Public Education's Q1 2025 earnings at $0.17 EPS, Q2 2025 earnings at $0.18 EPS, Q3 2025 earnings at $0.25 EPS, Q4 2025 earnings at $0.76 EPS and FY2026 earnings at $1.83 EPS.

APEI has been the subject of a number of other reports. William Blair upgraded American Public Education from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, March 7th. StockNews.com raised shares of American Public Education from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Friday, March 7th. Truist Financial lifted their target price 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. Finally, Barrington Research reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $24.00 target price on shares of American Public Education in a research report on Friday, March 7th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, two have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $25.33.

American Public Education Trading Up 1.3 %

Shares of NASDAQ:APEI traded up $0.29 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $22.61. 30,944 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 169,660. The stock has a market capitalization of $406.87 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.34, a P/E/G ratio of 1.05 and a beta of 1.30. American Public Education has a 12 month low of $11.80 and a 12 month high of $25.60. The business's 50-day moving average price is $21.90 and its 200 day moving average price is $19.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37, a quick ratio of 2.65 and a current ratio of 2.65.

Insider Transactions at American Public Education

In other news, SVP Thomas Beckett sold 3,700 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $22.07, for a total transaction of $81,659.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 60,253 shares in the company, valued at $1,329,783.71. This represents a 5.79 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Corporate insiders own 11.38% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Victory Capital Management Inc. bought a new position in American Public Education in the third quarter valued at $299,000. FMR LLC increased its stake in shares of American Public Education by 350.3% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 11,658 shares of the company's stock worth $172,000 after acquiring an additional 9,069 shares in the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its holdings in shares of American Public Education by 383.7% during the third quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 14,720 shares of the company's stock valued at $217,000 after purchasing an additional 11,677 shares during the last quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in American Public Education by 129.1% in the third quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 9,206 shares of the company's stock worth $136,000 after acquiring an additional 5,187 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Martingale Asset Management L P bought a new position in American Public Education in the 3rd quarter worth about $189,000. 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.