Russell Investments Group Ltd. Has $2.08 Million Holdings in American Public Education, Inc. $APEI

Key Points

• Russell Investments Group Ltd. increased its holdings in American Public Education, Inc. by 783.2% to approximately $2.08 million, now owning 93,011 shares.
• Institutional ownership of American Public Education is high at 79.62%, with several firms increasing their stakes in the first quarter.
• American Public Education reported earnings of ($0.02) EPS, beating estimates, and a revenue of $162.77 million, slightly above the consensus estimate.

Russell Investments Group Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of American Public Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:APEI - Free Report) by 783.2% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 93,011 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 82,480 shares during the period. Russell Investments Group Ltd. owned about 0.52% of American Public Education worth $2,076,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its position in shares of American Public Education by 19,594.1% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 3,348 shares of the company's stock worth $75,000 after purchasing an additional 3,331 shares in the last quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of American Public Education during the 1st quarter worth approximately $89,000. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio acquired a new stake in shares of American Public Education during the 4th quarter worth approximately $124,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its position 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 worth $176,000 after acquiring an additional 1,134 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company MN boosted its position in shares of American Public Education by 29.2% during the 4th quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 9,057 shares of the company's stock worth $195,000 after acquiring an additional 2,049 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.62% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, 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 completion of the transaction, the director owned 1,181,005 shares of the company's stock, valued at $33,115,380.20. This trade represents a 15.36% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders have sold a total of 662,464 shares of company stock worth $19,014,038 over the last ninety days. 17.54% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently issued reports on APEI. Griffin Securities set a $37.00 price target on shares of American Public Education in a research report on Thursday, August 7th. Northland Securities initiated 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 on the stock. Zacks Research upgraded shares of American Public Education to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 12th. Barrington Research raised their target price on shares of American Public Education from $32.00 to $36.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, August 11th. Finally, B. Riley raised their price target on shares of American Public Education from $36.00 to $37.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 7th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, American Public Education has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $35.17.

American Public Education Price Performance

APEI stock opened at $30.18 on Tuesday. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $29.89 and a 200-day moving average price of $26.27. The company has a market capitalization of $545.35 million, a P/E ratio of 28.47, a PEG ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 1.60. American Public Education, Inc. has a 52-week low of $13.45 and a 52-week high of $32.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a quick ratio of 2.83 and a current ratio of 2.83.

American Public Education (NASDAQ:APEI - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 6th. The company reported ($0.02) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.07) by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $162.77 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $160.88 million. American Public Education had a net margin of 4.44% and a return on equity of 10.82%. As a group, equities analysts expect that American Public Education, Inc. will post 0.47 EPS for the current year.

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.

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