American Public Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:APEI) Short Interest Down 9.2% in September

American Public Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:APEI) was the recipient of a large decrease in short interest in September. As of September 30th, there was short interest totalling 876,300 shares, a decrease 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 shares of the stock are short sold.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

Insider Activity at American Public Education

In related news, Director Michael David Braner purchased 17,872 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 30th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $16.77 per share, with a total value of $299,713.44. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 1,922,610 shares in the company, valued at $32,242,169.70. The trade was a 0.00 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In the last 90 days, insiders have purchased 182,287 shares of company stock valued at $2,635,431. 11.38% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On American Public Education

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Innealta Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of American Public Education during the second quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Quarry LP increased its stake in American Public Education by 94.0% during 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 purchased a new position in American Public Education in the 1st quarter valued at about $130,000. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. purchased a new position in American Public Education in the 1st quarter valued at about $141,000. Finally, Cannon Global Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of American Public Education during the first quarter valued at about $145,000. 79.62% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

American Public Education Trading Up 1.6 %

Shares of APEI stock opened at $14.30 on Tuesday. American Public Education has a fifty-two week low of $4.05 and a fifty-two week high of $21.04. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $14.77 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $15.90. The stock has a market cap of $251.32 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -5.46, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 1.25. The company has a quick ratio of 2.83, a current ratio of 2.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37.

American Public Education (NASDAQ:APEI) last announced 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. American Public Education had a net margin of 1.73% and a return on equity of 6.88%. The firm had revenue of $152.90 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $154.06 million. On average, analysts anticipate that American Public Education will post 0.49 EPS for the current year.

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.