Insider Buying: American Public Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:APEI) Director Acquires 26,539 Shares of Stock

American Public Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:APEI) Director Michael David Braner purchased 26,539 shares of American Public Education stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 22nd. The shares were bought at an average cost of $14.71 per share, for a total transaction of $390,388.69. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 1,824,820 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $26,843,102.20. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink.

Michael David Braner also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Tuesday, August 20th, Michael David Braner acquired 59,179 shares of American Public Education stock. The shares were purchased at an average price of $14.05 per share, for a total transaction of $831,464.95.
• On Wednesday, August 14th, Michael David Braner bought 64,304 shares of American Public Education stock. The stock was purchased at an average price of $13.81 per share, with a total value of $888,038.24.

American Public Education Stock Performance

NASDAQ:APEI traded up $0.12 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $15.83. 270,665 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 223,912. American Public Education, Inc. has a twelve month low of $4.05 and a twelve month high of $21.04. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38, a current ratio of 2.81 and a quick ratio of 2.81. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $16.89 and a 200 day moving average price of $15.20. The firm has a market capitalization of $278.21 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -6.00, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 1.31.

American Public Education (NASDAQ:APEI) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 6th. The company reported $0.01 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.01. American Public Education had a negative net margin of 6.78% and a positive return on equity of 5.97%. The company had revenue of $152.90 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $154.06 million. On average, analysts expect that American Public Education, Inc. will post 0.72 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on APEI shares. B. Riley raised their price objective on American Public Education from $15.00 to $16.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 30th. Truist Financial dropped their target price on shares of American Public Education from $20.00 to $15.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, August 13th. Barrington Research decreased their price target on shares of American Public Education from $24.00 to $18.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, August 7th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded shares of American Public Education from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 7th.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On American Public Education

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. grew its holdings in American Public Education by 329.5% in the 2nd quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 425,064 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,473,000 after buying an additional 326,091 shares in the last quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of American Public Education in the first quarter worth $2,159,000. Renaissance Technologies LLC increased its holdings in shares of American Public Education by 14.5% during the second quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 1,004,011 shares of the company’s stock valued at $17,651,000 after purchasing an additional 127,000 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. increased its holdings in shares of American Public Education by 43.6% during the second quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 351,644 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,182,000 after purchasing an additional 106,689 shares during the period. Finally, Acadian Asset Management LLC raised its stake in shares of American Public Education by 121.3% during the second quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 194,365 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,414,000 after purchasing an additional 106,535 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.62% of the company’s stock.

American Public Education Company Profile

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.