17,196 Shares in American Public Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:APEI) Purchased by Banco Santander S.A.

Key Points

• Banco Santander S.A. has acquired 17,196 shares of American Public Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:APEI), valued at approximately $384,000, representing a 0.10% ownership stake.
• American Public Education's stock recently traded at $30.52, with notable performance metrics including a market cap of $550.58 million and a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.92.
• In the last quarter, several institutional investors, including Ameriprise Financial and Invesco Ltd, increased their holdings in American Public Education, indicating growing investor interest.

Banco Santander S.A. acquired a new stake in American Public Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:APEI - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund acquired 17,196 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $384,000. Banco Santander S.A. owned approximately 0.10% of American Public Education at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of APEI. SummerHaven Investment Management LLC increased its stake in American Public Education by 1.5% in the 1st quarter. SummerHaven Investment Management LLC now owns 44,491 shares of the company's stock worth $993,000 after acquiring an additional 648 shares during the last quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. lifted its position in 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 purchasing an additional 943 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its stake in American Public Education by 16.2% in the 4th quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 8,155 shares of the company's stock worth $176,000 after buying an additional 1,134 shares in the last quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN increased its holdings in shares of 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 during the last quarter. Finally, Deutsche Bank AG raised its position in shares of American Public Education by 27.0% during the 4th quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 14,116 shares of the company's stock valued at $304,000 after buying an additional 2,997 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 79.62% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at American Public Education

In other news, Director 325 Capital Llc sold 214,396 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $28.04, for a total transaction of $6,011,663.84. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 1,181,005 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $33,115,380.20. The trade was a 15.36% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Nuno S. Fernandes sold 7,272 shares of American Public Education stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $27.11, for a total transaction of $197,143.92. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 85,459 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,316,793.49. This trade represents a 7.84% decrease in their position. 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. Company insiders own 17.54% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

APEI has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. B. Riley increased their target price on American Public Education from $36.00 to $37.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday. Northland Securities initiated coverage on American Public Education in a research report on Wednesday, June 18th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $36.00 price objective on the stock. Truist Financial raised their price objective on American Public Education from $24.00 to $30.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 14th. Northland Capmk raised American Public Education to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 18th. Finally, Barrington Research increased their price target on shares of American Public Education from $24.00 to $32.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 13th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, five have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $34.00.

American Public Education Trading Up 4.1%

Shares of NASDAQ APEI traded up $1.20 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $30.23. The company had a trading volume of 178,915 shares, compared to its average volume of 194,510. The stock has a market cap of $545.26 million, a PE ratio of 28.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.48 and a beta of 1.60. American Public Education, Inc. has a one year low of $13.12 and a one year high of $32.24. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $29.47 and its 200-day moving average price is $25.56. The company has a quick ratio of 3.27, a current ratio of 3.27 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 the consensus estimate of ($0.07) by $0.05. American Public Education had a return on equity of 10.93% and a net margin of 4.44%. The firm had revenue of $162.77 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $160.88 million. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that American Public Education, Inc. will post 0.47 earnings per share for the current year.

American Public Education 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.