Banco Santander S.A. Purchases Shares of 17,196 American Public Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:APEI)

Banco Santander S.A. purchased a new stake in shares of American Public Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:APEI - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor purchased 17,196 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $384,000. Banco Santander S.A. owned 0.10% of American Public Education at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of APEI. Bastion Asset Management Inc. bought a new stake in American Public Education during the fourth quarter valued at about $9,563,000. Royce & Associates LP bought a new stake in shares of American Public Education in the first quarter valued at about $5,319,000. Invesco Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of American Public Education by 379.5% in the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 282,325 shares of the company's stock valued at $6,090,000 after buying an additional 223,447 shares during the period. LSV Asset Management lifted its stake in shares of American Public Education by 649.4% in the fourth quarter. LSV Asset Management now owns 214,551 shares of the company's stock valued at $4,628,000 after buying an additional 185,920 shares during the period. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its stake in shares of American Public Education by 9.2% in the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 750,912 shares of the company's stock valued at $16,197,000 after buying an additional 63,103 shares during the period. 79.62% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

APEI has been the subject of several research reports. Truist Financial increased their target price on shares of American Public Education from $24.00 to $30.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 14th. Northland Securities initiated coverage on shares of American Public Education in a research note on Wednesday, June 18th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $36.00 target price for the company. B. Riley reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of American Public Education in a research note on Tuesday, May 13th. Barrington Research increased their target price on shares of American Public Education from $24.00 to $32.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 13th. Finally, Northland Capmk upgraded shares of American Public Education to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 18th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, five have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $32.20.

American Public Education Stock Up 1.9%

Shares of APEI opened at $29.94 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $540.12 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.35, a P/E/G ratio of 1.38 and a beta of 1.60. 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, Inc. has a 12 month low of $11.80 and a 12 month high of $32.24. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $29.42 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $25.43.

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

Insider Activity at American Public Education

In other news, insider Nuno S. Fernandes sold 7,272 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,316,793.49. This trade represents a 7.84% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director 325 Capital Llc sold 214,396 shares of the firm'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 sale, 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 position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 669,736 shares of company stock valued at $19,211,182. Company insiders own 17.54% of the company's stock.

About American Public Education

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.

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