Bastion Asset Management Inc. Purchases 60,019 Shares of American Public Education, Inc. $APEI

Key Points

• Bastion Asset Management increased its stake in American Public Education by 39.2% in the fourth quarter, buying 60,019 additional shares and bringing its total holdings to 212,964 shares worth about $7.83 million.
• Insider selling has been notable, with SVP Thomas Beckett and CMO Karmela Gaffney recently selling shares, while insiders have sold 377,071 shares worth $20.75 million over the past 90 days.
• APEI beat earnings expectations in its latest quarter, reporting $0.94 EPS versus the $0.61 estimate, while analysts currently rate the stock a Moderate Buy with a consensus price target of $59.13.

Bastion Asset Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of American Public Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:APEI - Free Report) by 39.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 212,964 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 60,019 shares during the quarter. American Public Education accounts for approximately 4.3% of Bastion Asset Management Inc.'s portfolio, making the stock its 9th largest holding. Bastion Asset Management Inc. owned 1.18% of American Public Education worth $7,828,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Versor Investments LP acquired a new stake in shares of American Public Education during the 4th quarter worth approximately $378,000. PVG Asset Management Corp purchased a new position in shares of American Public Education during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $269,000. Comerica Bank lifted its position in shares of American Public Education by 1,557.1% during the 4th quarter. Comerica Bank now owns 11,384 shares of the company's stock valued at $430,000 after buying an additional 10,697 shares in the last quarter. UBS Group AG lifted its position in shares of American Public Education by 9.3% during the 4th quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 263,533 shares of the company's stock valued at $9,962,000 after buying an additional 22,472 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Crown Advisors Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of American Public Education during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $1,890,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.62% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at American Public Education

In other news, SVP Thomas Beckett sold 2,000 shares of American Public Education stock in a transaction on Monday, March 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $57.70, for a total transaction of $115,400.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 62,172 shares in the company, valued at $3,587,324.40. The trade was a 3.12% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CMO Karmela Gaffney sold 2,700 shares of American Public Education stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.87, for a total value of $150,849.00. Following the transaction, the chief marketing officer owned 40,527 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,264,243.49. This represents a 6.25% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 377,071 shares of company stock worth $20,753,569. Corporate insiders own 10.60% of the company's stock.

American Public Education Trading Down 1.6%

Shares of APEI stock opened at $53.56 on Wednesday. The stock's fifty day moving average is $55.91 and its two-hundred day moving average is $44.96. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a quick ratio of 2.98 and a current ratio of 2.98. The firm has a market capitalization of $982.29 million, a P/E ratio of 28.34, a PEG ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 1.46. American Public Education, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $25.80 and a fifty-two week high of $61.59.

American Public Education (NASDAQ:APEI - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, May 11th. The company reported $0.94 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.61 by $0.33. American Public Education had a return on equity of 14.02% and a net margin of 6.13%.The company had revenue of $174.74 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $173.73 million. American Public Education has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 0.340-0.390 EPS. Research analysts expect that American Public Education, Inc. will post 2.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on APEI. Northland Securities set a $51.00 target price on American Public Education in a research report on Wednesday, February 18th. B. Riley Financial increased their target price on American Public Education from $67.00 to $68.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 12th. Truist Financial increased their target price on American Public Education from $38.00 to $55.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, March 13th. Griffin Securities set a $53.00 target price on American Public Education in a research report on Tuesday, January 27th. Finally, Zacks Research lowered American Public Education from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 12th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $59.13.

American Public Education Company 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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