Royce & Associates LP Raises Position in American Public Education, Inc. $APEI

Royce & Associates LP raised its stake in American Public Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:APEI) by 10.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 358,543 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 34,751 shares during the quarter. Royce & Associates LP’s holdings in American Public Education were worth $13,553,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Legato Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of American Public Education in the fourth quarter worth approximately $457,000. Bastion Asset Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of American Public Education by 39.2% in the fourth quarter. Bastion Asset Management Inc. now owns 212,964 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,828,000 after purchasing an additional 60,019 shares during the last quarter. Versor Investments LP purchased a new stake in shares of American Public Education in the fourth quarter worth approximately $378,000. PVG Asset Management Corp purchased a new stake in shares of American Public Education in the fourth quarter worth approximately $269,000. Finally, Comerica Bank raised its stake in shares of American Public Education by 1,557.1% in the fourth quarter. Comerica Bank now owns 11,384 shares of the company’s stock worth $430,000 after purchasing an additional 10,697 shares during the last quarter. 79.62% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

American Public Education News Roundup

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.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently commented on APEI. Wall Street Zen raised American Public Education from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, May 16th. Barrington Research increased their price target on American Public Education from $56.00 to $62.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 13th. William Blair set a $58.00 price target on American Public Education in a research report on Friday, March 13th. Truist Financial increased their price target on American Public Education from $38.00 to $55.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, March 13th. Finally, Lake Street Capital reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $62.00 price target on shares of American Public Education in a research report on Tuesday, May 12th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, American Public Education has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $59.13.

American Public Education Stock Performance

NASDAQ:APEI opened at $52.01 on Thursday. 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 business has a fifty day simple moving average of $56.20 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $45.80. American Public Education, Inc. has a 1 year low of $25.80 and a 1 year high of $61.59. The company has a market capitalization of $953.86 million, a P/E ratio of 27.52, a P/E/G ratio of 1.36 and a beta of 1.46.

American Public Education (NASDAQ:APEI) last released its earnings results 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 return on equity of 14.02% and a net margin of 6.13%.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. On average, analysts expect that American Public Education, Inc. will post 2.59 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other American Public Education news, insider Nuno S. Fernandes sold 1,100 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $54.08, for a total value of $59,488.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 83,075 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,492,696. This trade represents a 1.31% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CMO Karmela Gaffney sold 2,700 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.87, for a total value of $150,849.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief marketing officer directly owned 40,527 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,264,243.49. This represents a 6.25% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 377,071 shares of company stock valued at $20,753,569. Company insiders own 10.60% of the company’s stock.

About American Public Education

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.