12,089 Shares in American Public Education, Inc. $APEI Bought by Legato Capital Management LLC

Legato Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in American Public Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:APEI) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 12,089 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $457,000. Legato Capital Management LLC owned about 0.07% of American Public Education as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of APEI. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. grew its stake in shares of American Public Education by 4.3% in the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 9,386 shares of the company’s stock worth $209,000 after purchasing an additional 390 shares during the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of American Public Education by 4.1% in the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 538,440 shares of the company’s stock worth $12,018,000 after purchasing an additional 21,079 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC grew its stake in shares of American Public Education by 7.4% in the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 97,294 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,172,000 after purchasing an additional 6,671 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its stake in shares of American Public Education by 9.3% in the second quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 8,495 shares of the company’s stock worth $259,000 after purchasing an additional 720 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Legal & General Group Plc grew its stake in shares of American Public Education by 40.5% in the second quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 1,914 shares of the company’s stock worth $58,000 after purchasing an additional 552 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 79.62% of the company’s stock.

Key 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.

Insider Activity

In other news, CMO Karmela Gaffney sold 2,700 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.87, for a total transaction of $150,849.00. Following the transaction, the chief marketing officer owned 40,527 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,264,243.49. This represents a 6.25% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Nuno S. Fernandes sold 6,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $53.87, for a total transaction of $350,155.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 84,175 shares in the company, valued at $4,534,507.25. This represents a 7.17% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 377,071 shares of company stock valued at $20,753,569. Corporate insiders own 10.60% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Lake Street Capital reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $62.00 price objective on shares of American Public Education in a research note on Tuesday, May 12th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of American Public Education from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 12th. DA Davidson boosted their target price on shares of American Public Education from $58.00 to $64.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 13th. Northland Securities set a $51.00 target price on shares of American Public Education in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. Finally, B. Riley Financial boosted their target price on shares of American Public Education from $67.00 to $68.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 12th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, American Public Education has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $59.13.

American Public Education Price Performance

APEI stock opened at $52.01 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $953.86 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.52, a PEG ratio of 1.36 and a beta of 1.46. The company has a quick ratio of 2.98, a current ratio of 2.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27. American Public Education, Inc. has a 12-month low of $25.80 and a 12-month high of $61.59. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $56.20 and its 200 day simple moving average is $45.80.

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, beating the consensus estimate of $0.61 by $0.33. The business had revenue of $174.74 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $173.73 million. American Public Education had a net margin of 6.13% and a return on equity of 14.02%. 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.

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.