American Public Education, Inc. $APEI Shares Sold by AWM Investment Company Inc.

Key Points

• AWM Investment Company Inc. reduced its stake in American Public Education, Inc. (APEI) by 16.8%, selling 20,000 shares and holding a total of 99,000 shares valued at approximately $2.21 million.
• American Public Education reported a quarterly EPS of ($0.02), outperforming expectations, with revenue of $162.77 million for the quarter.
• Analysts have upgraded their outlook with multiple firms raising price targets for APEI, indicating an average consensus target price of $35.17 and a rating of "Moderate Buy".

AWM Investment Company Inc. lowered its holdings in American Public Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:APEI - Free Report) by 16.8% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 99,000 shares of the company's stock after selling 20,000 shares during the period. AWM Investment Company Inc. owned approximately 0.55% of American Public Education worth $2,210,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of APEI. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its stake in American Public Education by 19,594.1% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 3,348 shares of the company's stock valued at $75,000 after acquiring an additional 3,331 shares in the last quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC purchased a new position in American Public Education in the 1st quarter worth approximately $89,000. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio purchased a new position in American Public Education in the 4th quarter worth approximately $124,000. Wells Fargo & Company MN grew its stake in American Public Education by 29.2% in the 4th quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 9,057 shares of the company's stock worth $195,000 after buying an additional 2,049 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Victory Capital Management Inc. purchased a new position in American Public Education in the 1st quarter worth approximately $213,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.62% of the company's stock.

American Public Education Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ APEI traded down $0.12 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $31.60. 204,667 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 238,043. The firm has a market cap of $570.92 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.81, a PEG ratio of 1.81 and a beta of 1.61. American Public Education, Inc. has a twelve month low of $13.45 and a twelve month high of $32.24. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $30.13 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $26.78. The company has a quick ratio of 2.83, a current ratio of 2.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35.

American Public Education (NASDAQ:APEI - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 6th. The company reported ($0.02) earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.07) by $0.05. American Public Education had a return on equity of 10.82% and a net margin of 4.44%.The company had revenue of $162.77 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $160.88 million. As a group, analysts anticipate that American Public Education, Inc. will post 0.47 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have commented on APEI. Griffin Securities set a $37.00 price target on shares of American Public Education in a research note on Thursday, August 7th. B. Riley raised their price objective on shares of American Public Education from $36.00 to $37.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 7th. Northland Capmk upgraded shares of American Public Education to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 18th. Northland Securities began coverage on shares of American Public Education in a report on Wednesday, June 18th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $36.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded shares of American Public Education to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 12th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have given a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $35.17.

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.