American Public Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:APEI) Short Interest Up 7.0% in December

American Public Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:APEI - Get Free Report) saw a significant growth in short interest in December. As of December 15th, there was short interest totalling 756,200 shares, a growth of 7.0% from the November 30th total of 706,700 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 120,900 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 6.3 days. Approximately 4.5% of the shares of the stock are sold short.

American Public Education Trading Down 0.5 %

American Public Education stock traded down $0.10 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $21.57. 326,448 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 188,813. The stock has a market capitalization of $382.05 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.52, a PEG ratio of 3.11 and a beta of 1.31. American Public Education has a 12 month low of $9.65 and a 12 month high of $23.84. The company has a quick ratio of 2.65, a current ratio of 2.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $19.23 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $17.13.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently commented on APEI. Barrington Research lifted their price target on American Public Education from $18.00 to $24.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 13th. B. Riley boosted their target price on shares of American Public Education from $22.00 to $25.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, November 7th. Truist Financial lifted their price target on shares of American Public Education from $15.00 to $20.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, November 14th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded American Public Education from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, December 25th.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On American Public Education

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Bank of New York Mellon Corp acquired a new position in American Public Education in the second quarter valued at approximately $880,000. Panagora Asset Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of American Public Education in the 2nd quarter valued at about $476,000. Ritholtz Wealth Management increased its position in American Public Education by 97.9% in the 2nd quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management now owns 20,381 shares of the company's stock valued at $358,000 after buying an additional 10,081 shares in the last quarter. Rhumbline Advisers raised its stake in American Public Education by 4,483.4% during the 2nd quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 22,046 shares of the company's stock worth $388,000 after buying an additional 21,565 shares during the period. Finally, Acadian Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in American Public Education by 121.3% in the second quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 194,365 shares of the company's stock worth $3,414,000 after acquiring an additional 106,535 shares in the last quarter. 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.