Royce & Associates LP Makes New Investment in 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 position in American Public Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:APEI - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. 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 Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of APEI. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its holdings in American Public Education by 19,594.1% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 3,348 shares of the company's stock worth $75,000 after purchasing an additional 3,331 shares during the period. Parallel Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of American Public Education in the first quarter worth approximately $89,000. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio bought a new position in shares of American Public Education in the fourth quarter worth approximately $124,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its stake in shares of American Public Education by 16.2% in the fourth quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 8,155 shares of the company's stock worth $176,000 after buying an additional 1,134 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company MN lifted its stake in shares of 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 buying an additional 2,049 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.62% of the company's stock.

American Public Education Stock Performance

APEI traded up $0.41 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $29.37. The company's stock had a trading volume of 15,055 shares, compared to its average volume of 190,404. The company has a quick ratio of 3.27, a current ratio of 3.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. American Public Education, Inc. has a one year low of $11.80 and a one year high of $32.24. The firm has a market cap of $529.83 million, a PE ratio of 28.79, a P/E/G ratio of 1.33 and a beta of 1.57. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $29.39 and its 200-day simple moving average is $25.16.

American Public Education (NASDAQ:APEI - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, May 12th. The company reported $0.41 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 the consensus estimate of $161.92 million. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that American Public Education, Inc. will post 0.47 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at American Public Education

In related news, insider Nuno S. Fernandes sold 7,272 shares of American Public Education 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 transaction, the insider owned 85,459 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,316,793.49. The trade was a 7.84% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director 325 Capital Llc sold 214,396 shares of American Public Education stock in a transaction on Friday, June 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $28.04, for a total transaction of $6,011,663.84. Following the transaction, 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 position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 669,736 shares of company stock worth $19,211,182 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 17.54% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on APEI. Northland Capmk upgraded shares of American Public Education to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 18th. Barrington Research increased their price objective on shares of 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 restated a "buy" rating on shares of American Public Education in a research report on Tuesday, May 13th. Northland Securities started coverage on shares of American Public Education in a research report on Wednesday, June 18th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $36.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Lake Street Capital increased their price objective on shares of American Public Education from $30.00 to $35.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 13th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, five have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $32.20.

About American Public Education

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.