BNP Paribas Financial Markets Sells 12,690 Shares of American Public Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:APEI)

BNP Paribas Financial Markets trimmed its holdings in shares of American Public Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:APEI - Free Report) by 86.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 2,030 shares of the company's stock after selling 12,690 shares during the period. BNP Paribas Financial Markets' holdings in American Public Education were worth $44,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of American Public Education by 10.0% during the 4th quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 12,321 shares of the company's stock valued at $266,000 after acquiring an additional 1,120 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its position in shares of American Public Education by 16.2% in the 4th quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 8,155 shares of the company's stock valued at $176,000 after purchasing an additional 1,134 shares during the period. New York State Teachers Retirement System acquired a new position in shares of American Public Education in the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. Wells Fargo & Company MN boosted its position 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 valued at $195,000 after purchasing an additional 2,049 shares during the period. Finally, Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC boosted its position in shares of American Public Education by 5.0% in the 4th quarter. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC now owns 53,897 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,163,000 after purchasing an additional 2,583 shares during the period. 79.62% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

American Public Education Stock Up 0.4%

NASDAQ APEI traded up $0.10 during trading on Friday, reaching $28.25. 607,648 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 183,618. American Public Education, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $11.80 and a fifty-two week high of $30.32. The firm has a market capitalization of $509.63 million, a PE ratio of 50.45, a P/E/G ratio of 1.05 and a beta of 1.58. The company has a current ratio of 2.65, a quick ratio of 2.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $25.75 and its 200-day simple moving average is $22.99.

American Public Education (NASDAQ:APEI - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 analyst estimates of $161.92 million. American Public Education had a return on equity of 6.96% and a net margin of 2.64%. Sell-side analysts predict that American Public Education, Inc. will post 0.47 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director 325 Capital Llc sold 127,406 shares of American Public Education stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $29.45, for a total transaction of $3,752,106.70. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 1,661,150 shares in the company, valued at $48,920,867.50. The trade was a 7.12% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Nuno S. Fernandes sold 7,272 shares of American Public Education stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $27.11, for a total value of $197,143.92. Following the sale, the insider now owns 85,459 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,316,793.49. This represents a 7.84% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 673,436 shares of company stock worth $19,292,841 in the last three months. 17.54% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on APEI shares. Lake Street Capital increased their price target on American Public Education from $30.00 to $35.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 13th. Truist Financial increased their price target on American Public Education from $24.00 to $30.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 14th. Barrington Research increased their price target on American Public Education from $24.00 to $32.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 13th. B. Riley reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of American Public Education in a research report on Tuesday, May 13th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded American Public Education from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Friday, March 7th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, four have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $31.25.

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.