AWM Investment Company Inc. Makes New $2.87 Million Investment in American Public Education, Inc. $APEI

Key Points

• AWM Investment Company acquired 53,500 shares of American Public Education in the second quarter, valued at approximately $2.87 million, giving it a 0.29% stake. Institutional investors collectively own 79.62% of the company.
• Analyst sentiment remains favorable, with six Buy ratings and two Hold ratings producing a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $59.38.
• American Public Education reported quarterly EPS of $0.52, beating estimates of $0.36, while revenue of $171.73 million slightly exceeded expectations. Shares opened at $46.22, below the consensus target.

AWM Investment Company Inc. acquired a new stake in American Public Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:APEI - Free Report) in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund acquired 53,500 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,873,000. AWM Investment Company Inc. owned 0.29% of American Public Education as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Osaic Holdings Inc. boosted its position in shares of American Public Education by 5,909.5% in the second quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. now owns 1,262 shares of the company's stock worth $38,000 after acquiring an additional 1,241 shares during the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew its holdings in American Public Education by 84.1% in the second quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 1,616 shares of the company's stock valued at $49,000 after purchasing an additional 738 shares during the period. Legal & General Group Plc increased its position in American Public Education by 40.5% during the second quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 1,914 shares of the company's stock worth $58,000 after purchasing an additional 552 shares during the last quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC increased its position in American Public Education by 96.5% during the second quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 2,643 shares of the company's stock worth $81,000 after purchasing an additional 1,298 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Meeder Asset Management Inc. raised its stake in American Public Education by 259.6% during the fourth quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 5,276 shares of the company's stock worth $199,000 after purchasing an additional 3,809 shares during the period. 79.62% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently commented on APEI shares. B. Riley Financial raised their price target on shares of American Public Education from $67.00 to $68.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 12th. Zacks Research downgraded shares of American Public Education from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 11th. Lake Street Capital lifted their target price on shares of American Public Education from $62.00 to $64.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, August 11th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of American Public Education from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, August 15th. Finally, DA Davidson reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $64.00 price target on shares of American Public Education in a report on Monday, June 1st. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $59.38.

Insider Activity at American Public Education

In related news, SVP Thomas Beckett sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $54.00, for a total transaction of $108,000.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 52,172 shares in the company, valued at $2,817,288. This represents a 3.69% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Company insiders own 10.60% of the company's stock.

American Public Education Stock Down 0.1%

NASDAQ:APEI opened at $46.22 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $845.83 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.02, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.17 and a beta of 1.38. American Public Education, Inc. has a one year low of $29.05 and a one year high of $61.59. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $51.13 and a 200 day simple moving average of $51.95. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26, a quick ratio of 3.25 and a current ratio of 3.25.

American Public Education (NASDAQ:APEI - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, August 10th. The company reported $0.52 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.36 by $0.16. The firm had revenue of $171.73 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $170.88 million. American Public Education had a return on equity of 15.30% and a net margin of 6.84%.American Public Education has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.480-2.790 EPS and its Q3 2026 guidance at 0.180-0.290 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that American Public Education, Inc. will post 2.63 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American Public Education Profile

American Public Education, Inc operates as a provider of online postsecondary education, offering degree and certificate programs through its wholly owned subsidiary, American Public University System (APUS). The company designs and delivers a broad range of undergraduate and graduate programs in fields such as business administration, information technology, criminal justice, homeland security, health sciences, and education. Its curriculum is developed to meet the needs of working adults, military personnel, veterans and civilian students seeking flexible, career-relevant learning opportunities.

APUS is regionally accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education and employs a proprietary online learning platform that supports asynchronous instruction, digital course materials and interactive learning tools.

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