American Public Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:APEI) Sees Significant Decline in Short Interest

American Public Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:APEI) was the recipient of a large decrease in short interest in 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. Currently, 4.5% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 143,200 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 5.3 days.

American Public Education Trading Down 7.1 %

APEI stock opened at $18.45 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $326.57 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.95, a PEG ratio of 2.36 and a beta of 1.24. The company has a quick ratio of 2.83, a current ratio of 2.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $15.08 and a 200-day simple moving average of $16.24. American Public Education has a 52 week low of $5.41 and a 52 week high of $21.04.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have weighed in on APEI. StockNews.com downgraded American Public Education from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday. Truist Financial boosted their price target on American Public Education from $15.00 to $20.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday. B. Riley boosted their price target on American Public Education from $22.00 to $25.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, November 7th. Finally, Barrington Research boosted their price target on American Public Education from $18.00 to $24.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday.

Insider Activity at American Public Education

In other American Public Education news, Director Michael David Braner purchased 17,872 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, August 30th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $16.77 per share, for a total transaction of $299,713.44. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 1,922,610 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $32,242,169.70. The trade was a 0.94 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. In the last 90 days, insiders have purchased 117,983 shares of company stock valued at $1,747,393. 11.38% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of American Public Education

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in APEI. BNP Paribas Financial Markets increased its holdings in shares of American Public Education by 13,583.7% during the 1st quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 18,473 shares of the company’s stock worth $262,000 after buying an additional 18,338 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC purchased a new position in American Public Education in the first quarter valued at about $799,000. Russell Investments Group Ltd. purchased a new position in American Public Education in the first quarter valued at about $211,000. Acadian Asset Management LLC raised its position in American Public Education by 5,036.3% in the first quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 87,830 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,246,000 after purchasing an additional 86,120 shares during the period. Finally, Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. purchased a new position in American Public Education in the first quarter valued at about $141,000. 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.