American Public Education, Inc. $APEI Shares Sold by Prescott Group Capital Management L.L.C.

Prescott Group Capital Management L.L.C. lowered its stake in shares of American Public Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:APEI) by 1.0% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,242,471 shares of the company’s stock after selling 12,359 shares during the period. American Public Education accounts for approximately 4.5% of Prescott Group Capital Management L.L.C.’s portfolio, making the stock its 2nd biggest holding. Prescott Group Capital Management L.L.C. owned 6.89% of American Public Education worth $37,846,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of American Public Education by 6.6% during 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. Acadian Asset Management LLC lifted its position in American Public Education by 124.8% during the second quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 668,130 shares of the company’s stock worth $20,342,000 after buying an additional 370,894 shares during the period. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of American Public Education by 4.1% during the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 538,440 shares of the company’s stock worth $12,018,000 after acquiring an additional 21,079 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. raised its stake in American Public Education by 1.7% during the first quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 516,266 shares of the company’s stock worth $11,523,000 after purchasing an additional 8,550 shares during the period. Finally, Bastion Asset Management Inc. raised its position in shares of American Public Education by 9.6% in the 1st quarter. Bastion Asset Management Inc. now owns 485,901 shares of the company’s stock worth $10,845,000 after buying an additional 42,575 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.62% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

APEI has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Lake Street Capital set a $38.00 price target on shares of American Public Education and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 15th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of American Public Education in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. DA Davidson began coverage on shares of American Public Education in a research report on Tuesday, September 9th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $40.00 target price for the company. B. Riley reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of American Public Education in a report on Wednesday, October 15th. Finally, Barrington Research increased their price objective on shares of American Public Education from $36.00 to $40.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 23rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $38.29.

American Public Education Price Performance

Shares of American Public Education stock opened at $31.07 on Friday. American Public Education, Inc. has a 52 week low of $17.07 and a 52 week high of $39.83. The stock has a market cap of $561.34 million, a PE ratio of 29.31, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.01 and a beta of 1.65. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $35.45 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $31.07. The company has a current ratio of 2.83, a quick ratio of 2.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35.

American Public Education (NASDAQ:APEI) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 6th. The company reported ($0.02) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.07) by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $162.77 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $160.88 million. American Public Education had a net margin of 4.44% and a return on equity of 10.82%. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that American Public Education, Inc. will post 0.47 EPS for the current fiscal 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.