Sheets Smith Wealth Management Takes Position in American Public Education, Inc. $APEI

Key Points

• Sheets Smith Wealth Management has acquired a new stake in American Public Education, Inc. (APEI), purchasing 18,840 shares valued at approximately $574,000, representing about 0.10% of the company's stock.
• Institutional investors collectively own 79.62% of American Public Education's stock, with several large firms, including Vanguard and Goldman Sachs, increasing their stakes in the company recently.
• Analyst reports indicate a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" on APEI, with a price target averaging around $36.43, reflecting positive sentiment from several upgrades issued by various firms.

Sheets Smith Wealth Management purchased a new stake in American Public Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:APEI - Free Report) during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 18,840 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $574,000. Sheets Smith Wealth Management owned approximately 0.10% of American Public Education as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in APEI. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of American Public Education by 6.6% in the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 908,974 shares of the company's stock worth $20,288,000 after purchasing an additional 56,674 shares during the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. grew its holdings in American Public Education by 4.1% during the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 538,440 shares of the company's stock worth $12,018,000 after buying an additional 21,079 shares in the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. boosted its holdings in American Public Education by 1.7% during the 1st quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 516,266 shares of the company's stock worth $11,523,000 after acquiring an additional 8,550 shares during the last quarter. Bastion Asset Management Inc. boosted its holdings in American Public Education by 9.6% during the 1st quarter. Bastion Asset Management Inc. now owns 485,901 shares of the company's stock worth $10,845,000 after acquiring an additional 42,575 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Acadian Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in American Public Education by 23.1% during the 1st quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 297,236 shares of the company's stock worth $6,629,000 after acquiring an additional 55,708 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 79.62% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

APEI has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. DA Davidson assumed coverage on shares of American Public Education in a research report on Tuesday, September 9th. They set a "buy" rating and a $40.00 price target on the stock. Northland Securities started coverage on shares of American Public Education in a research note on Wednesday, June 18th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $36.00 price objective for the company. Griffin Securities set a $37.00 target price on American Public Education in a report on Thursday, August 7th. Barrington Research upped their target price on American Public Education from $36.00 to $40.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday. Finally, B. Riley boosted their price objective on American Public Education from $36.00 to $37.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 7th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned 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 a consensus price target of $36.43.

American Public Education Price Performance

American Public Education stock opened at $37.34 on Thursday. American Public Education, Inc. has a 12 month low of $13.45 and a 12 month high of $38.32. The company has a current ratio of 2.83, a quick ratio of 2.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $31.41 and its 200 day simple moving average is $28.03. The company has a market cap of $674.73 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.23, a PEG ratio of 2.12 and a beta of 1.61.

American Public Education (NASDAQ:APEI - Get Free Report) last issued its 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. American Public Education had a return on equity of 10.82% and a net margin of 4.44%.The firm had revenue of $162.77 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $160.88 million. Sell-side analysts forecast 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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