Vanguard Group Inc. Sells 219,881 Shares of American Public Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:APEI)

Vanguard Group Inc. lowered its position in shares of American Public Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:APEI) by 20.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 852,300 shares of the company’s stock after selling 219,881 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. owned about 4.81% of American Public Education worth $18,384,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of APEI. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in American Public Education by 0.6% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 404,168 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,963,000 after buying an additional 2,573 shares during the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. raised its stake in shares of American Public Education by 8.0% during the fourth quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 507,716 shares of the company’s stock valued at $10,951,000 after acquiring an additional 37,492 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp raised its stake in shares of American Public Education by 27.2% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 275,889 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,069,000 after acquiring an additional 58,984 shares during the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of American Public Education by 10.0% during the fourth quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 12,321 shares of the company’s stock worth $266,000 after purchasing an additional 1,120 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its stake in shares of American Public Education by 29.9% in the fourth quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 57,921 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,249,000 after purchasing an additional 13,344 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.62% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have commented on APEI shares. StockNews.com raised American Public Education from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, March 7th. Barrington Research reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $24.00 target price on shares of American Public Education in a research report on Friday, March 7th. William Blair upgraded shares of American Public Education from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, March 7th. Truist Financial upped their price objective on shares of American Public Education from $20.00 to $24.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, March 10th. Finally, B. Riley began coverage on shares of American Public Education in a research note on Friday, March 28th. They set a “buy” rating and a $28.00 target price for the company. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, two have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $25.33.

American Public Education Stock Performance

NASDAQ:APEI opened at $24.05 on Thursday. 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, Inc. has a twelve month low of $11.80 and a twelve month high of $25.60. The company has a fifty day moving average of $22.26 and a 200-day moving average of $20.12. The firm has a market capitalization of $433.77 million, a P/E ratio of 42.95, a P/E/G ratio of 1.05 and a beta of 1.47.

Insider Buying and Selling at American Public Education

In other news, SVP Thomas Beckett sold 3,700 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $22.07, for a total value of $81,659.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 60,253 shares in the company, valued at $1,329,783.71. This trade represents a 5.79 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Insiders own 11.38% of the company’s stock.

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.