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

B. Riley initiated coverage on shares of American Public Education (NASDAQ:APEI) in a report released on Friday morning. The firm issued a buy rating and a $28.00 target price on the stock.

Several other equities analysts also recently weighed in on the company. William Blair raised American Public Education from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, March 7th. Truist Financial raised their price target 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. Barrington Research reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $24.00 price target on shares of American Public Education in a research note on Friday, March 7th. Finally, 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. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $25.33.

American Public Education Trading Down 2.8 %

Shares of APEI opened at $22.48 on Friday. American Public Education has a twelve month low of $11.80 and a twelve month high of $25.60. The company has a current ratio of 2.65, a quick ratio of 2.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37. The firm has a market capitalization of $404.55 million, a P/E ratio of 40.14, a PEG ratio of 1.05 and a beta of 1.30. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $21.88 and its two-hundred day moving average is $19.32.

Insider Transactions at American Public Education

In related news, SVP Thomas Beckett sold 3,700 shares of the stock in a transaction on 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 owns 60,253 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,329,783.71. This trade 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 is available at the SEC website. Insiders own 11.38% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Bastion Asset Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of American Public Education during the fourth quarter worth about $9,563,000. Invesco Ltd. boosted its position in American Public Education by 379.5% during the fourth 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 stake in American Public Education by 649.4% in the 4th quarter. LSV Asset Management now owns 214,551 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,628,000 after acquiring an additional 185,920 shares during the period. Pacific Ridge Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in American Public Education in the 4th quarter valued at $2,287,000. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its stake in shares of American Public Education by 9.2% during 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. 79.62% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

American Public Education Company Profile

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.