Principal Financial Group Inc. Raises Stock Position in American Public Education, Inc. $APEI

Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its position in American Public Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:APEI) by 217.3% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 23,185 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 15,877 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned 0.13% of American Public Education worth $915,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Acadian Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in American Public Education by 124.8% in the second quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 668,130 shares of the company’s stock valued at $20,342,000 after acquiring an additional 370,894 shares during the last quarter. CSM Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of American Public Education in the 2nd quarter valued at $6,723,000. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership grew its holdings in shares of American Public Education by 76.1% during the 2nd quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 389,586 shares of the company’s stock worth $11,867,000 after purchasing an additional 168,362 shares during the period. 4D Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of American Public Education by 111.1% during the 2nd quarter. 4D Advisors LLC now owns 285,000 shares of the company’s stock worth $8,681,000 after purchasing an additional 150,000 shares during the period. Finally, Manatuck Hill Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of American Public Education during the 2nd quarter worth about $3,503,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.62% of the company’s stock.

American Public Education Price Performance

Shares of APEI opened at $44.25 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $800.04 million, a P/E ratio of 33.52, a PEG ratio of 1.33 and a beta of 1.71. American Public Education, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $18.76 and a fifty-two week high of $46.06. The company has a quick ratio of 2.84, a current ratio of 2.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $40.50 and its 200 day moving average price is $36.32.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have commented on APEI shares. Barrington Research reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $40.00 target price on shares of American Public Education in a research report on Tuesday, November 11th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of American Public Education from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, January 12th. Griffin Securities set a $53.00 price objective on shares of American Public Education in a research report on Tuesday, January 27th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of American Public Education in a report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, B. Riley Financial upped their price target on American Public Education from $40.00 to $53.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 27th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $47.14.

American Public Education Profile

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.