Short Interest in American Public Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:APEI) Drops By 7.7%

American Public Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:APEI) saw a large decrease in short interest in the month of January. As of January 15th, there was short interest totalling 697,600 shares, a decrease of 7.7% from the December 31st total of 756,200 shares. Approximately 4.1% of the company’s shares are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 118,100 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 5.9 days.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. StockNews.com raised shares of American Public Education from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 2nd. Truist Financial raised 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 note on Thursday, November 14th. B. Riley upped their target price on American Public Education from $22.00 to $25.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, November 7th. Finally, Barrington Research upped their price target on shares of American Public Education from $18.00 to $24.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 13th.

Institutional Trading of American Public Education

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Alberta Investment Management Corp acquired a new position in American Public Education in the fourth quarter valued at about $858,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its position in American Public Education by 10.0% during the 4th quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 12,321 shares of the company’s stock worth $266,000 after acquiring an additional 1,120 shares during the last quarter. New York State Teachers Retirement System bought a new stake in shares of American Public Education during the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. Empowered Funds LLC increased its position in American Public Education by 5.0% in the 4th quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 90,623 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,955,000 after acquiring an additional 4,324 shares during the period. Finally, R Squared Ltd bought a new position in American Public Education during the 4th quarter worth $38,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.62% of the company’s stock.

American Public Education Stock Performance

APEI traded down $0.55 during trading on Monday, hitting $21.63. The stock had a trading volume of 17,880 shares, compared to its average volume of 80,190. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $21.32 and a 200-day moving average price of $17.82. The firm has a market cap of $382.98 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.69, a P/E/G ratio of 1.10 and a beta of 1.27. American Public Education has a one year low of $10.30 and a one year high of $23.84. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37, a current ratio of 2.65 and a quick ratio of 2.65.

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.