Royce & Associates LP Acquires Shares of 238,294 American Public Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:APEI)

Key Points

• Royce & Associates LP acquired 238,294 shares of American Public Education, valued at approximately $5.3 million, increasing its ownership to 1.32% as of the latest SEC filing.
• Insider transactions include Nuno S. Fernandes selling 7,272 shares and Director 325 Capital LLC selling 214,396 shares, both representing significant decreases in their holdings.
• American Public Education reported $0.41 EPS for the last quarter, surpassing the consensus estimate of $0.15, and had revenues of $164.55 million during the same period.

Royce & Associates LP acquired a new stake in American Public Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:APEI - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor acquired 238,294 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,319,000. Royce & Associates LP owned 1.32% of American Public Education as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its stake in American Public Education by 19,594.1% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 3,348 shares of the company's stock valued at $75,000 after buying an additional 3,331 shares during the period. Parallel Advisors LLC acquired a new position in American Public Education in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $89,000. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio acquired a new position in American Public Education in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $124,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its stake in 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 buying an additional 1,134 shares during the period. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company MN increased its stake in 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 buying an additional 2,049 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.62% of the company's stock.

American Public Education Price Performance

NASDAQ APEI opened at $30.33 on Friday. 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 company has a fifty day simple moving average of $29.40 and a 200 day simple moving average of $25.04. The company has a market cap of $547.15 million, a P/E ratio of 29.74, a P/E/G ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 1.57. American Public Education, Inc. has a 1 year low of $11.80 and a 1 year high of $32.24.

American Public Education (NASDAQ:APEI - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, May 12th. The company reported $0.41 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.15 by $0.26. The business had revenue of $164.55 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $161.92 million. American Public Education had a net margin of 3.86% and a return on equity of 9.96%. On average, sell-side analysts predict that American Public Education, Inc. will post 0.47 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at American Public Education

In related news, insider Nuno S. Fernandes sold 7,272 shares of the company's stock in a transaction 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 directly owned 85,459 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,316,793.49. This represents a 7.84% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director 325 Capital Llc sold 214,396 shares of the company's 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 sale, the director directly owned 1,181,005 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $33,115,380.20. This represents a 15.36% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 669,736 shares of company stock valued at $19,211,182. 17.54% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have weighed in on APEI. B. Riley reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of American Public Education in a research note on Tuesday, May 13th. 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. Truist Financial boosted their target price on shares of American Public Education from $24.00 to $30.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 14th. Finally, Northland Securities began coverage on shares of American Public Education in a research report on Wednesday, June 18th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $36.00 target price for the company. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $32.20.

American Public Education 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.

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