Assenagon Asset Management S.A. Sells 83,703 Shares of American Public Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:APEI)

Assenagon Asset Management S.A. cut its holdings in American Public Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:APEI - Free Report) by 68.8% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 37,985 shares of the company's stock after selling 83,703 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. owned approximately 0.21% of American Public Education worth $848,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of American Public Education by 2.7% during the fourth quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. now owns 35,291 shares of the company's stock valued at $761,000 after buying an additional 943 shares during the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its position in American Public Education by 10.0% during the 4th quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 12,321 shares of the company's stock worth $266,000 after acquiring an additional 1,120 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its position in American Public Education by 16.2% during the 4th quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 8,155 shares of the company's stock worth $176,000 after acquiring an additional 1,134 shares during the last quarter. New York State Teachers Retirement System purchased a new position in American Public Education in the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company MN lifted its position in American Public Education by 29.2% in the fourth quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 9,057 shares of the company's stock valued at $195,000 after purchasing an additional 2,049 shares during the last quarter. 79.62% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Barrington Research raised their target price on shares of American Public Education from $24.00 to $32.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 13th. Truist Financial raised their price target on shares of American Public Education from $24.00 to $30.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 14th. Northland Securities assumed coverage on shares of American Public Education in a research report on Wednesday. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $36.00 price objective on the stock. Northland Capmk raised shares of American Public Education to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, William Blair raised American Public Education from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, March 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $32.20.

American Public Education Trading Up 1.8%

NASDAQ APEI traded up $0.52 during trading on Friday, hitting $29.79. The company had a trading volume of 560,079 shares, compared to its average volume of 186,128. The company's fifty day moving average is $26.73 and its 200-day moving average is $23.53. American Public Education, Inc. has a one year low of $11.80 and a one year high of $30.55. The company has a current ratio of 3.27, a quick ratio of 3.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. The company has a market cap of $537.41 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 1.58.

American Public Education (NASDAQ:APEI - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, May 12th. The company reported $0.41 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.15 by $0.26. American Public Education had a net margin of 3.86% and a return on equity of 9.96%. The company had revenue of $164.55 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $161.92 million. On average, sell-side analysts predict that American Public Education, Inc. will post 0.47 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Transactions at American Public Education

In other news, Director 325 Capital Llc sold 79,791 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $29.33, for a total value of $2,340,270.03. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 1,581,359 shares of the company's stock, valued at $46,381,259.47. This represents a 4.80% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Nuno S. Fernandes sold 7,272 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $27.11, for a total transaction of $197,143.92. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 85,459 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,316,793.49. The trade was a 7.84% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 669,736 shares of company stock valued at $19,211,182. Corporate insiders own 17.54% of the company's stock.

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.