American Public Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:APEI) Short Interest Update

American Public Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:APEI) was the target of a large growth in short interest in August. As of August 31st, there was short interest totalling 946,500 shares, a growth of 11.8% from the August 15th total of 846,400 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 311,700 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 3.0 days. Approximately 5.6% of the company’s stock are short sold.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have issued reports on APEI. Barrington Research cut their price target on American Public Education from $24.00 to $18.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, August 7th. StockNews.com downgraded American Public Education from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 7th. Finally, Truist Financial cut their price objective on American Public Education from $20.00 to $15.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, August 13th.

American Public Education Stock Performance

NASDAQ APEI opened at $15.50 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $272.41 million, a PE ratio of -5.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.98 and a beta of 1.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37, a quick ratio of 2.83 and a current ratio of 2.83. American Public Education has a 52-week low of $4.05 and a 52-week high of $21.04. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $16.55 and a 200 day simple moving average of $15.71.

American Public Education (NASDAQ:APEI) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, August 6th. The company reported $0.01 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.01. The firm had revenue of $152.90 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $154.06 million. American Public Education had a net margin of 1.73% and a return on equity of 6.88%. On average, research analysts predict that American Public Education will post 0.49 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at American Public Education

In other American Public Education news, Director Michael David Braner acquired 59,179 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 20th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $14.05 per share, with a total value of $831,464.95. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now owns 1,788,688 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $25,131,066.40. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In the last 90 days, insiders acquired 182,287 shares of company stock worth $2,635,431. 11.38% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Innealta Capital LLC bought a new stake in American Public Education in the 2nd quarter valued at about $34,000. Quarry LP boosted its holdings in American Public Education by 94.0% in the 2nd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 4,666 shares of the company’s stock worth $82,000 after buying an additional 2,261 shares during the period. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio bought a new stake in American Public Education during the 1st quarter valued at $130,000. Jump Financial LLC purchased a new position in shares of American Public Education in the fourth quarter valued at $137,000. Finally, Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. purchased a new stake in American Public Education during the 1st quarter worth about $141,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.62% of the company’s stock.

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.