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

American Public Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:APEI - Get Free Report) was the target of a large decrease in short interest in the month of October. As of October 31st, there was short interest totalling 753,600 shares, a decrease of 22.6% from the October 15th total of 973,800 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 143,200 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 5.3 days. Approximately 4.5% of the shares of the company are sold short.

Analyst Ratings Changes

APEI has been the topic of several research reports. B. Riley raised their target price on American Public Education from $22.00 to $25.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, November 7th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of American Public Education from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday. Truist Financial increased their price target on shares of American Public Education from $15.00 to $20.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday. Finally, Barrington Research boosted their price objective on shares of American Public Education from $18.00 to $24.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday.

American Public Education Stock Performance

American Public Education stock traded down $0.31 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $18.14. The stock had a trading volume of 157,734 shares, compared to its average volume of 198,010. The company has a current ratio of 2.65, a quick ratio of 2.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37. American Public Education has a 52-week low of $5.41 and a 52-week high of $21.04. The company has a market capitalization of $321.11 million, a PE ratio of 32.95, a P/E/G ratio of 2.83 and a beta of 1.24. The firm's fifty day moving average is $15.08 and its two-hundred day moving average is $16.24.

Insider Buying and Selling at American Public Education

In other news, Director Michael David Braner purchased 17,872 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 30th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $16.77 per share, with a total value of $299,713.44. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 1,922,610 shares of the company's stock, valued at $32,242,169.70. This represents a 0.94 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In the last 90 days, insiders have purchased 117,983 shares of company stock worth $1,747,393. Company insiders own 11.38% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of American Public Education

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of APEI. Innealta Capital LLC bought a new position in American Public Education in the 2nd quarter worth $34,000. Quarry LP lifted its position in shares of American Public Education by 94.0% in the second quarter. Quarry LP now owns 4,666 shares of the company's stock valued at $82,000 after acquiring an additional 2,261 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC boosted its stake in shares of American Public Education by 5.2% in the third quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 86,299 shares of the company's stock worth $1,273,000 after acquiring an additional 4,288 shares during the period. MetLife Investment Management LLC grew its position in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 5,187 shares in the last quarter. Finally, FMR LLC lifted its holdings in American Public Education by 350.3% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 11,658 shares of the company's stock worth $172,000 after purchasing an additional 9,069 shares in the last quarter. 79.62% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

American Public Education Company Profile

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.