Systematic Financial Management LP Purchases 6,909 Shares of American Public Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:APEI)

Systematic Financial Management LP boosted its position in American Public Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:APEI) by 2.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 353,184 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 6,909 shares during the period. Systematic Financial Management LP owned 1.99% of American Public Education worth $7,618,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. New York State Teachers Retirement System bought a new stake in American Public Education in the 4th quarter worth $31,000. R Squared Ltd bought a new stake in shares of American Public Education during the 4th quarter valued at about $38,000. SG Americas Securities LLC bought a new stake in shares of American Public Education during the 4th quarter valued at about $121,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its stake in shares of American Public Education by 16.2% during the 4th quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 8,155 shares of the company’s stock valued at $176,000 after purchasing an additional 1,134 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company MN boosted its stake in shares of American Public Education by 29.2% during the 4th quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 9,057 shares of the company’s stock valued at $195,000 after purchasing an additional 2,049 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 79.62% of the company’s stock.

American Public Education Trading Up 0.2%

NASDAQ:APEI opened at $27.85 on Friday. American Public Education, Inc. has a one year low of $11.80 and a one year high of $30.09. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37, a current ratio of 2.65 and a quick ratio of 2.65. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $23.78 and its 200 day simple moving average is $21.81. The firm has a market capitalization of $502.30 million, a P/E ratio of 49.73, a PEG ratio of 1.05 and a beta of 1.56.

American Public Education (NASDAQ:APEI) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, May 12th. The company reported $0.41 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.15 by $0.26. American Public Education had a net margin of 2.64% and a return on equity of 6.96%. The business had revenue of $164.55 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $161.92 million. As a group, analysts forecast that American Public Education, Inc. will post 0.47 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on APEI. B. Riley reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of American Public Education in a research note on Tuesday. Barrington Research lifted their target price on shares of American Public Education from $24.00 to $32.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 13th. William Blair raised shares of American Public Education from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, March 7th. StockNews.com raised shares of American Public Education from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, March 7th. Finally, Lake Street Capital boosted their price objective on shares of American Public Education from $30.00 to $35.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 13th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, four have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, American Public Education currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $31.25.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other American Public Education news, insider Nuno S. Fernandes sold 7,272 shares of American Public Education stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $27.11, for a total value of $197,143.92. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 85,459 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,316,793.49. The trade was a 7.84% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, SVP Thomas Beckett sold 3,700 shares of American Public Education 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 completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 60,253 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,329,783.71. This trade represents a 5.79% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 17.54% 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.