Pacific Ridge Capital Partners LLC Has $3.30 Million Stock Holdings in American Public Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:APEI)

Key Points

• Pacific Ridge Capital Partners LLC increased its stake in American Public Education by 39.5%, acquiring an additional 41,922 shares during the first quarter, bringing its total to 147,930 shares.
• Analysts have recently given American Public Education a mix of ratings, with five buy ratings and two strong buy ratings, while the average price target is set at $32.20.
• American Public Education reported an earnings per share of $0.41 last quarter, exceeding analyst expectations, and had a revenue of $164.55 million.

Pacific Ridge Capital Partners LLC raised its stake in American Public Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:APEI - Free Report) by 39.5% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 147,930 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 41,922 shares during the period. Pacific Ridge Capital Partners LLC owned 0.82% of American Public Education worth $3,302,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. SummerHaven Investment Management LLC grew its position in American Public Education by 1.5% during the 1st quarter. SummerHaven Investment Management LLC now owns 44,491 shares of the company's stock worth $993,000 after purchasing an additional 648 shares in the last quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of American Public Education by 2.7% during the 4th quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. now owns 35,291 shares of the company's stock valued at $761,000 after acquiring an additional 943 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its holdings in shares of American Public Education by 16.2% during the 4th quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 8,155 shares of the company's stock valued at $176,000 after acquiring an additional 1,134 shares in the last quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN boosted its holdings in American Public Education by 29.2% in the fourth quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 9,057 shares of the company's stock worth $195,000 after purchasing an additional 2,049 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC boosted its holdings in American Public Education by 5.0% in the fourth quarter. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC now owns 53,897 shares of the company's stock worth $1,163,000 after purchasing an additional 2,583 shares in the last quarter. 79.62% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

American Public Education Price Performance

Shares of APEI traded up $0.05 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $29.99. 55,157 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 189,756. American Public Education, Inc. has a one year low of $11.80 and a one year high of $32.24. The company has a current ratio of 3.27, a quick ratio of 3.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. The business has a 50-day moving average of $29.42 and a 200 day moving average of $25.43. The stock has a market capitalization of $541.02 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.45, a PEG ratio of 1.38 and a beta of 1.60.

American Public Education (NASDAQ:APEI - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, May 12th. The company reported $0.41 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.15 by $0.26. American Public Education had a net margin of 3.86% and a return on equity of 9.96%. The business had revenue of $164.55 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $161.92 million. As a group, equities analysts expect that American Public Education, Inc. will post 0.47 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have weighed in on APEI shares. Barrington Research boosted their target price on shares of American Public Education from $24.00 to $32.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 13th. Northland Capmk raised shares of American Public Education to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 18th. Lake Street Capital increased their price target on shares of American Public Education from $30.00 to $35.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 13th. B. Riley reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of American Public Education in a research note on Tuesday, May 13th. Finally, Truist Financial upped their price objective on shares of American Public Education from $24.00 to $30.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 14th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, five have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, American Public Education currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $32.20.

Insider Activity at American Public Education

In related news, insider Nuno S. Fernandes sold 7,272 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $27.11, for a total value of $197,143.92. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 85,459 shares in the company, valued at $2,316,793.49. This represents a 7.84% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director 325 Capital Llc sold 214,396 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 completion of the sale, the director owned 1,181,005 shares in the company, valued at approximately $33,115,380.20. This trade represents a 15.36% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 669,736 shares of company stock worth $19,211,182 over the last three months. 17.54% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.