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

American Public Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:APEI - Get Free Report) saw a significant drop in short interest in the month of September. As of September 30th, there was short interest totalling 876,300 shares, a drop of 9.2% from the September 15th total of 965,300 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 246,100 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 3.6 days. Currently, 5.2% of the company's shares are short sold.

American Public Education Stock Down 0.1 %

Shares of NASDAQ:APEI traded down $0.01 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $14.29. 67,716 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 206,393. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $14.72 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $15.90. 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 market capitalization of $251.15 million, a PE ratio of -5.45, a P/E/G ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 1.25.

American Public Education (NASDAQ:APEI - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 6th. The company reported $0.01 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting analysts' consensus estimates of $0.01. The company had revenue of $152.90 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $154.06 million. American Public Education had a return on equity of 6.88% and a net margin of 1.73%. As a group, research analysts predict that American Public Education will post 0.49 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on APEI shares. Barrington Research reduced their price objective 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. Truist Financial reduced their price target on shares of American Public Education from $20.00 to $15.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, August 13th. Finally, StockNews.com cut shares of American Public Education from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, August 7th.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Michael David Braner purchased 64,304 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 14th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $13.81 per share, for a total transaction of $888,038.24. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 1,636,215 shares of the company's stock, valued at $22,596,129.15. The trade was a 0.00 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Insiders bought a total of 182,287 shares of company stock worth $2,635,431 over the last ninety days. 11.38% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of American Public Education

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in APEI. Innealta Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of American Public Education during the 2nd quarter valued at $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 worth $82,000 after buying an additional 2,261 shares during the last quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio acquired a new stake in shares of American Public Education in the first quarter worth about $130,000. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of American Public Education during the 1st quarter worth about $141,000. Finally, Cannon Global Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of American Public Education during the 1st quarter valued at about $145,000. 79.62% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.