American Public Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:APEI) Short Interest Update

American Public Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:APEI) saw a significant growth in short interest in July. As of July 15th, there was short interest totalling 813,900 shares, a growth of 30.6% from the June 30th total of 623,000 shares. Approximately 4.8% of the company’s stock are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 244,700 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 3.3 days.

American Public Education Stock Up 4.9 %

NASDAQ:APEI opened at $20.33 on Friday. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $17.58 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $14.55. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38, a current ratio of 2.81 and a quick ratio of 2.81. American Public Education has a 1 year low of $4.05 and a 1 year high of $21.04.

American Public Education (NASDAQ:APEI) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 7th. The company reported ($0.06) EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.19) by $0.13. American Public Education had a negative net margin of 6.78% and a positive return on equity of 5.97%. The firm had revenue of $154.43 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $152.34 million. On average, analysts anticipate that American Public Education will post 0.72 earnings per share for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

APEI has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Barrington Research upped their price objective on American Public Education from $17.00 to $20.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 8th. B. Riley increased their price target on shares of American Public Education from $15.00 to $16.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 30th. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of American Public Education from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 16th.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Craig S. Macgibbon sold 1,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, May 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $18.40, for a total transaction of $27,600.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 41,783 shares in the company, valued at $768,807.20. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. In other American Public Education news, EVP Craig S. Macgibbon sold 6,519 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $17.35, for a total value of $113,104.65. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 37,751 shares in the company, valued at approximately $654,979.85. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Craig S. Macgibbon sold 1,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $18.40, for a total value of $27,600.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 41,783 shares in the company, valued at approximately $768,807.20. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 11.38% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of American Public Education

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. increased its holdings in shares of American Public Education by 329.5% in the second quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 425,064 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,473,000 after buying an additional 326,091 shares during the period. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. purchased a new position in American Public Education in the 1st quarter worth approximately $2,159,000. Acadian Asset Management LLC increased its stake in American Public Education by 5,036.3% in the 1st quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 87,830 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,246,000 after purchasing an additional 86,120 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC bought a new stake in American Public Education in the first quarter valued at approximately $799,000. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp purchased a new stake in shares of American Public Education during the second quarter valued at approximately $880,000. 79.62% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.