State of Wyoming Sells 8,962 Shares of American Public Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:APEI)

State of Wyoming lowered its position in shares of American Public Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:APEI - Free Report) by 31.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 19,526 shares of the company's stock after selling 8,962 shares during the quarter. State of Wyoming owned approximately 0.11% of American Public Education worth $421,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. American Century Companies Inc. lifted its holdings in American Public Education by 8.0% in the fourth quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 507,716 shares of the company's stock valued at $10,951,000 after buying an additional 37,492 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its position in shares of American Public Education by 10.0% during the 4th quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 12,321 shares of the company's stock valued at $266,000 after acquiring an additional 1,120 shares during the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its position in shares of American Public Education by 29.9% during the 4th quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 57,921 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,249,000 after acquiring an additional 13,344 shares during the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC acquired a new position in shares of American Public Education in the 4th quarter valued at $121,000. Finally, Alberta Investment Management Corp acquired a new position in shares of American Public Education in the 4th quarter valued at $858,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.62% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

APEI has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. William Blair upgraded American Public Education from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, March 7th. Barrington Research boosted their target price on American Public Education from $24.00 to $32.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 13th. Truist Financial upped their price objective on shares of American Public Education from $24.00 to $30.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 14th. Lake Street Capital raised their price target on American Public Education from $30.00 to $35.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 13th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded American Public Education from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Friday, March 7th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, four have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $31.25.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, SVP Thomas Beckett sold 3,700 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $22.07, for a total transaction of $81,659.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 60,253 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,329,783.71. This represents a 5.79% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Nuno S. Fernandes sold 7,272 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $27.11, for a total value of $197,143.92. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 85,459 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,316,793.49. This trade represents a 7.84% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 17.54% of the company's stock.

American Public Education Stock Up 0.6%

Shares of NASDAQ:APEI traded up $0.17 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $29.31. 212,530 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 176,644. The firm has a market cap of $528.75 million, a PE ratio of 52.34, a P/E/G ratio of 1.05 and a beta of 1.56. American Public Education, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $11.80 and a fifty-two week high of $30.09. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $24.50 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $22.31. The company has a quick ratio of 2.65, a current ratio of 2.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37.

American Public Education (NASDAQ:APEI - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Monday, May 12th. The company reported $0.41 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.15 by $0.26. The firm had revenue of $164.55 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $161.92 million. American Public Education had a return on equity of 6.96% and a net margin of 2.64%. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that American Public Education, Inc. will post 0.47 earnings per share for the current year.

American Public Education Company 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.