Vanguard Group Inc. Has $18.38 Million Stock Holdings in American Public Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:APEI)

Vanguard Group Inc. reduced its holdings in shares of American Public Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:APEI) by 20.5% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 852,300 shares of the company’s stock after selling 219,881 shares during the quarter. Vanguard Group Inc.’s holdings in American Public Education were worth $18,384,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position 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 acquiring an additional 2,573 shares in the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. boosted its holdings in American Public Education by 8.0% during the 4th quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 507,716 shares of the company’s stock worth $10,951,000 after acquiring an additional 37,492 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its position 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 purchasing an additional 58,984 shares in the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its holdings in 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 last quarter. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its position in American Public Education by 29.9% in the 4th 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 in the last quarter. 79.62% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have commented on APEI. 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. B. Riley started coverage on American Public Education in a report on Friday, March 28th. They set a “buy” rating and a $28.00 price target on the stock. William Blair upgraded American Public Education from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, March 7th. Truist Financial raised their target price on American Public Education from $20.00 to $24.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, March 10th. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of 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, two have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $25.33.

American Public Education Stock Down 0.3 %

APEI stock opened at $24.05 on Thursday. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $22.26 and a 200-day moving average of $20.12. American Public Education, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $11.80 and a fifty-two week high of $25.60. The company has a market capitalization of $433.77 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 42.95, a PEG ratio of 1.05 and a beta of 1.47. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37, a quick ratio of 2.65 and a current ratio of 2.65.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, SVP Thomas Beckett sold 3,700 shares of the 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,329,783.71. This represents a 5.79 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company 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.