Royce & Associates LP Has $13.55 Million Position in American Public Education, Inc. $APEI

Key Points

• Royce & Associates LP increased its stake in American Public Education by 10.7% in the fourth quarter, ending with 358,543 shares valued at about $13.55 million.
• Analyst sentiment remains generally positive: six analysts rate APEI a Buy, two rate it Hold, and the consensus target price is $59.13. Several firms also raised earnings estimates, including Zacks Research lifting FY2026 and FY2027 EPS forecasts.
• The company recently beat quarterly expectations, reporting $0.94 EPS versus the $0.61 consensus, while revenue came in slightly above estimates at $174.74 million. However, insiders have been selling shares, with about 377,071 shares sold over the last 90 days.

Royce & Associates LP boosted its position in American Public Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:APEI - Free Report) by 10.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 358,543 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 34,751 shares during the period. Royce & Associates LP owned 1.98% of American Public Education worth $13,553,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of APEI. No Street GP LP acquired a new position in American Public Education in the 3rd quarter worth about $32,365,000. Divisadero Street Capital Management LP bought a new stake in shares of American Public Education in the 3rd quarter valued at about $15,108,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. grew its position in shares of American Public Education by 1,667.5% in the 4th quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 180,835 shares of the company's stock valued at $6,836,000 after buying an additional 170,604 shares during the last quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC grew its position in shares of American Public Education by 122.9% in the 3rd quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 294,386 shares of the company's stock valued at $11,619,000 after buying an additional 162,318 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Manatuck Hill Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of American Public Education in the 2nd quarter valued at about $3,503,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.62% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have commented on the company. Northland Securities set a $51.00 price target on American Public Education in a research report on Wednesday, February 18th. Lake Street Capital reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $62.00 price target on shares of American Public Education in a research report on Tuesday, May 12th. Truist Financial upped their price target on American Public Education from $38.00 to $55.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, March 13th. Zacks Research lowered American Public Education from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 12th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded American Public Education from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, May 16th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $59.13.

Insider Activity

In other news, SVP Tanya Joy Axenson sold 20,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.68, for a total transaction of $1,113,600.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 49,917 shares in the company, valued at $2,779,378.56. The trade was a 28.61% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Thomas Beckett sold 2,000 shares of the business's 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 sale, the senior vice president owned 62,172 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,587,324.40. This represents a 3.12% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 377,071 shares of company stock valued at $20,753,569. Corporate insiders own 10.60% of the company's stock.

Key Stories Impacting American Public Education

Here are the key news stories impacting American Public Education this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research raised its FY2026 EPS estimate for American Public Education to $2.63 from $2.33, signaling better near-term earnings potential.
• Positive Sentiment: The analyst firm also increased its FY2027 EPS forecast to $2.85, along with higher Q1 2027, Q2 2027, and Q3 2027 estimates, reinforcing a better growth outlook.
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research nudged its Q3 2026 and Q1 2028 estimates higher as well, which suggests confidence in APEI’s earnings trajectory over multiple periods.
• Neutral Sentiment: American Public Education’s annual meeting news that shareholders backed directors and governance appears supportive of stability, but it is not likely a major direct stock catalyst. American Public Education Shareholders Back Directors and Governance
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks also highlighted APEI as a strong value stock, which is supportive for investor sentiment but is not a formal upgrade or a new operational development. Here's Why American Public Education (APEI) is a Strong Value Stock
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks trimmed its Q1 2028 EPS estimate slightly to $0.75 from $0.77 and kept only a Hold rating, limiting the upside signal from the report.
• Negative Sentiment: The firm also lowered its FY2028 estimate marginally to $3.17 from $3.18, a very small cut but still a mild headwind.

American Public Education Stock Down 1.3%

Shares of American Public Education stock opened at $52.01 on Thursday. American Public Education, Inc. has a one year low of $25.80 and a one year high of $61.59. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 2.98 and a quick ratio of 2.98. The stock's 50-day moving average is $56.20 and its 200 day moving average is $45.80. The firm has a market cap of $953.86 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.52, a PEG ratio of 1.36 and a beta of 1.46.

American Public Education (NASDAQ:APEI - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, May 11th. The company reported $0.94 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.61 by $0.33. American Public Education had a return on equity of 14.02% and a net margin of 6.13%.The business had revenue of $174.74 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $173.73 million. American Public Education has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 0.340-0.390 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that American Public Education, Inc. will post 2.59 EPS for the current year.

About American Public Education

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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