Legato Capital Management LLC Takes $457,000 Position in American Public Education, Inc. $APEI

Legato Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of American Public Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:APEI) during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm acquired 12,089 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $457,000.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in APEI. No Street GP LP acquired a new position in shares of American Public Education during the third quarter valued at about $32,365,000. Divisadero Street Capital Management LP acquired a new stake in shares of American Public Education in the 3rd quarter worth about $15,108,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. raised its holdings in shares of American Public Education by 1,667.5% in the 4th quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 180,835 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,836,000 after acquiring an additional 170,604 shares during the last quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of American Public Education by 122.9% in the 3rd quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 294,386 shares of the company’s stock worth $11,619,000 after acquiring an additional 162,318 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Manatuck Hill Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of American Public Education in the 2nd quarter worth about $3,503,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.62% of the company’s stock.

American Public Education Trading Down 1.3%

Shares of APEI stock opened at $52.01 on Thursday. American Public Education, Inc. has a 52-week low of $25.80 and a 52-week high of $61.59. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a quick ratio of 2.98 and a current ratio of 2.98. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $56.20 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $45.80. The company has a market capitalization of $953.86 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.52, a PEG ratio of 1.36 and a beta of 1.46.

American Public Education (NASDAQ:APEI) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, May 11th. The company reported $0.94 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.61 by $0.33. American Public Education had a net margin of 6.13% and a return on equity of 14.02%. The business had revenue of $174.74 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $173.73 million. American Public Education has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 0.340-0.390 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that American Public Education, Inc. will post 2.59 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

APEI has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Barrington Research upped their target price on shares of American Public Education from $56.00 to $62.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 13th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of American Public Education from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Saturday, May 16th. B. Riley Financial upped their target price on shares of American Public Education from $67.00 to $68.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 12th. DA Davidson upped their target price on shares of American Public Education from $58.00 to $64.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 13th. Finally, Zacks Research lowered shares of American Public Education from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 12th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $59.13.

More American Public Education News

Here are the key news stories impacting American Public Education this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research raised its FY2026 EPS estimate for American Public Education to $2.63 from $2.33, signaling better near-term earnings potential.
• Positive Sentiment: The analyst firm also increased its FY2027 EPS forecast to $2.85, along with higher Q1 2027, Q2 2027, and Q3 2027 estimates, reinforcing a better growth outlook.
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research nudged its Q3 2026 and Q1 2028 estimates higher as well, which suggests confidence in APEI’s earnings trajectory over multiple periods.
• Neutral Sentiment: American Public Education’s annual meeting news that shareholders backed directors and governance appears supportive of stability, but it is not likely a major direct stock catalyst. American Public Education Shareholders Back Directors and Governance
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks also highlighted APEI as a strong value stock, which is supportive for investor sentiment but is not a formal upgrade or a new operational development. Here’s Why American Public Education (APEI) is a Strong Value Stock
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks trimmed its Q1 2028 EPS estimate slightly to $0.75 from $0.77 and kept only a Hold rating, limiting the upside signal from the report.
• Negative Sentiment: The firm also lowered its FY2028 estimate marginally to $3.17 from $3.18, a very small cut but still a mild headwind.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other American Public Education news, SVP Tanya Joy Axenson sold 20,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.68, for a total value of $1,113,600.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 49,917 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,779,378.56. This represents a 28.61% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, SVP Thomas Beckett sold 2,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $57.70, for a total transaction of $115,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 62,172 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,587,324.40. The trade was a 3.12% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 377,071 shares of company stock worth $20,753,569 in the last ninety days. 10.60% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

American Public Education 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.