Principal Financial Group Inc. Increases Stake in American Public Education, Inc. $APEI

Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of American Public Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:APEI) by 217.3% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 23,185 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 15,877 shares during the quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in American Public Education were worth $915,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in APEI. Independent Advisor Alliance acquired a new stake in American Public Education in the third quarter valued at approximately $229,000. Federated Hermes Inc. grew its holdings in American Public Education by 4.8% during the 3rd quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 41,162 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,625,000 after acquiring an additional 1,876 shares in the last quarter. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of American Public Education in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $821,000. Strs Ohio raised its holdings in shares of American Public Education by 17.3% in the 3rd quarter. Strs Ohio now owns 17,600 shares of the company’s stock valued at $695,000 after purchasing an additional 2,600 shares in the last quarter. Finally, State of Alaska Department of Revenue purchased a new stake in shares of American Public Education during the 3rd quarter worth $40,000. 79.62% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

American Public Education Trading Down 0.1%

APEI opened at $44.25 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 2.84, a current ratio of 2.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34. American Public Education, Inc. has a 52 week low of $18.76 and a 52 week high of $46.06. The business’s 50 day moving average is $40.50 and its two-hundred day moving average is $36.32. The firm has a market cap of $800.04 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.52, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.33 and a beta of 1.71.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

American Public Education Company 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.