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

American Public Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:APEI) saw a significant decline in short interest in the month of February. As of February 28th, there was short interest totalling 691,500 shares, a decline of 13.2% from the February 13th total of 796,800 shares. Approximately 4.2% of the shares of the company are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 106,900 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 6.5 days.

American Public Education Price Performance

APEI opened at $22.63 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37, a current ratio of 2.65 and a quick ratio of 2.65. The company has a market capitalization of $407.25 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.41, a P/E/G ratio of 1.05 and a beta of 1.30. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $21.61 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $19.01. American Public Education has a 1 year low of $11.80 and a 1 year high of $25.60.

Insider Activity

In related news, SVP Thomas Beckett sold 3,700 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $22.07, for a total transaction of $81,659.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 60,253 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,329,783.71. This represents a 5.79 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 11.38% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On American Public Education

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in American Public Education by 0.6% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 404,168 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,963,000 after acquiring an additional 2,573 shares during the period. State Street Corp raised its stake in American Public Education by 27.2% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 275,889 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,069,000 after acquiring an additional 58,984 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its stake in American Public Education by 10.0% in the 4th quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 12,321 shares of the company’s stock valued at $266,000 after acquiring an additional 1,120 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC bought a new stake in American Public Education in the 4th quarter valued at about $121,000. Finally, Alberta Investment Management Corp purchased a new position in American Public Education during the 4th quarter valued at about $858,000. 79.62% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Barrington Research reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $24.00 price objective on shares of American Public Education in a report on Friday, March 7th. Truist Financial raised their price target on shares of American Public Education from $20.00 to $24.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, March 10th. William Blair upgraded shares of American Public Education from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, March 7th. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of American Public Education from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, March 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, three have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $24.33.

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.