Principal Financial Group Inc. Has $266,000 Stock Position in American Public Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:APEI)

Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its position in American Public Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:APEI) by 10.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 12,321 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,120 shares during the quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned approximately 0.07% of American Public Education worth $266,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. New York State Teachers Retirement System acquired a new stake in American Public Education in the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. R Squared Ltd acquired a new stake in American Public Education in the fourth quarter worth about $38,000. SG Americas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in American Public Education in the fourth quarter worth about $121,000. MetLife Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in American Public Education by 129.1% during the third quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 9,206 shares of the company’s stock worth $136,000 after buying an additional 5,187 shares during the last quarter. Finally, FMR LLC boosted its holdings in American Public Education by 350.3% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 11,658 shares of the company’s stock worth $172,000 after buying an additional 9,069 shares during the last quarter. 79.62% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

American Public Education Trading Up 22.1 %

NASDAQ:APEI opened at $23.50 on Friday. American Public Education, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $11.43 and a fifty-two week high of $25.60. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $416.23 million, a PE ratio of 41.96, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.05 and a beta of 1.30. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $21.33 and its 200-day simple moving average is $18.53.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the company. William Blair upgraded American Public Education from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday. StockNews.com upgraded American Public Education from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday. Barrington Research restated an “outperform” rating and set a $24.00 target price on shares of American Public Education in a report on Friday. Finally, Truist Financial raised their target price on American Public Education from $15.00 to $20.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, November 14th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, three have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $23.00.

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.