LSV Asset Management Cuts Stock Position in American Public Education, Inc. $APEI

Key Points

• LSV Asset Management sharply reduced its stake in American Public Education, cutting holdings by 66.5% in the fourth quarter and selling 125,500 shares.
• Insiders also trimmed exposure, with SVP Tanya Joy Axenson and SVP Thomas Beckett selling shares; 377,071 shares were sold by insiders over the last three months.
• APEI reported strong quarterly results, earning $0.94 per share versus $0.61 expected, while analysts maintain a Moderate Buy consensus and a $59.13 price target.

LSV Asset Management cut its holdings in shares of American Public Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:APEI - Free Report) by 66.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 63,100 shares of the company's stock after selling 125,500 shares during the period. LSV Asset Management owned about 0.35% of American Public Education worth $2,385,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in American Public Education by 1.7% during the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 1,086,727 shares of the company's stock worth $42,893,000 after purchasing an additional 17,902 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its stake in American Public Education by 0.8% during the third quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 832,043 shares of the company's stock worth $32,840,000 after purchasing an additional 6,807 shares during the period. No Street GP LP purchased a new stake in American Public Education during the third quarter worth about $32,365,000. American Century Companies Inc. increased its stake in American Public Education by 8.7% during the third quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 612,087 shares of the company's stock worth $24,159,000 after purchasing an additional 49,008 shares during the period. Finally, Goldman Sachs Group Inc. increased its stake in American Public Education by 4.1% during the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 538,440 shares of the company's stock worth $12,018,000 after purchasing an additional 21,079 shares during the period. 79.62% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, SVP Tanya Joy Axenson sold 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.68, for a total value of $1,113,600.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 49,917 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,779,378.56. This represents a 28.61% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Thomas Beckett sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $57.70, for a total value of $115,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 62,172 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,587,324.40. The trade was a 3.12% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last three months, insiders sold 377,071 shares of company stock valued at $20,753,569. 10.60% of the stock is owned by insiders.

American Public Education Stock Performance

Shares of APEI opened at $52.68 on Wednesday. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $56.27 and a 200 day moving average price of $45.65. The company has a quick ratio of 2.98, a current ratio of 2.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27. The company has a market capitalization of $966.15 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.87, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.35 and a beta of 1.46. American Public Education, Inc. has a 52-week low of $25.80 and a 52-week high of $61.59.

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

APEI has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Northland Securities set a $51.00 price target on shares of American Public Education in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. William Blair set a $58.00 price target on shares of American Public Education in a research note on Friday, March 13th. DA Davidson boosted their price target on shares of American Public Education from $58.00 to $64.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 13th. B. Riley Financial boosted their price objective on American Public Education from $67.00 to $68.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 12th. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised American Public Education from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 12th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $59.13.

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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