Principal Financial Group Inc. Sells 16,428 Shares of American Public Education, Inc. $APEI

Principal Financial Group Inc. trimmed its position in American Public Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:APEI) by 48.2% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 17,678 shares of the company’s stock after selling 16,428 shares during the quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned 0.10% of American Public Education worth $1,006,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of APEI. No Street GP LP acquired a new position in shares of American Public Education in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $32,365,000. Lazard Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in American Public Education by 122.9% in the 3rd quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 294,386 shares of the company’s stock valued at $11,619,000 after buying an additional 162,318 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its position in American Public Education by 1,025.5% in the fourth quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 130,600 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,937,000 after acquiring an additional 118,996 shares during the period. Manatuck Hill Partners LLC bought a new stake in American Public Education in the second quarter valued at $3,503,000. Finally, Bridgeway Capital Management LLC raised its stake in American Public Education by 63.3% during the second quarter. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC now owns 286,313 shares of the company’s stock worth $8,721,000 after acquiring an additional 111,026 shares in the last quarter. 79.62% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

American Public Education Price Performance

APEI opened at $48.51 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 2.98 and a quick ratio of 2.98. The stock has a market capitalization of $889.67 million, a P/E ratio of 25.67, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.28 and a beta of 1.37. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $52.70 and its 200-day simple moving average is $51.17. American Public Education, Inc. has a one year low of $27.74 and a one year high of $61.59.

American Public Education (NASDAQ:APEI) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, May 11th. The company reported $0.94 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 firm had revenue of $174.74 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $173.73 million. American Public Education has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 0.340-0.390 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that American Public Education, Inc. will post 2.59 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on APEI shares. DA Davidson reissued a “buy” rating and set a $64.00 price target on shares of American Public Education in a report on Monday, June 1st. Zacks Research raised shares of American Public Education from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, July 13th. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of American Public Education from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Wednesday. Lake Street Capital reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $62.00 price objective on shares of American Public Education in a report on Tuesday, May 12th. Finally, Barrington Research lifted their target price on shares of American Public Education from $56.00 to $62.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 13th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, American Public Education currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $59.12.

Insider Activity at American Public Education

In other news, SVP Thomas Beckett sold 2,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, June 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $54.00, for a total transaction of $108,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 52,172 shares in the company, valued at $2,817,288. The trade was a 3.69% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Company insiders own 10.60% of the company’s stock.

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.