B. Riley Upgrades American Public Education (NASDAQ:APEI) to “Strong-Buy”

B. Riley upgraded shares of American Public Education (NASDAQ:APEI) to a strong-buy rating in a report published on Thursday,Zacks.com reports.

APEI has been the subject of several other reports. StockNews.com upgraded American Public Education from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, March 7th. William Blair raised American Public Education from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, March 7th. Truist Financial raised their price objective on shares of 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 reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $24.00 target price on shares of American Public Education in a research note on Friday, March 7th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, two have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, American Public Education presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $25.33.

American Public Education Stock Performance

Shares of APEI opened at $22.48 on Thursday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $21.88 and a 200 day moving average of $19.32. The company has a current ratio of 2.65, a quick ratio of 2.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37. American Public Education has a 12 month low of $11.80 and a 12 month high of $25.60. The company has a market capitalization of $404.55 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.14, a PEG ratio of 1.05 and a beta of 1.30.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, SVP Thomas Beckett sold 3,700 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $22.07, for a total transaction 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 trade represents a 5.79 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 11.38% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On American Public Education

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of APEI. Victory Capital Management Inc. purchased a new stake in American Public Education during the 3rd quarter valued at $299,000. FMR LLC lifted its holdings in 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 buying an additional 9,069 shares during the period. BNP Paribas Financial Markets increased its stake 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 buying an additional 11,677 shares during the period. MetLife Investment Management LLC increased its stake in shares of American Public Education by 129.1% during the third quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 9,206 shares of the company’s stock valued at $136,000 after buying an additional 5,187 shares during the period. Finally, Martingale Asset Management L P bought a new position in shares of American Public Education during the third quarter valued at approximately $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.