Short Interest in American Public Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:APEI) Increases By 30.6%

American Public Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:APEI) was the recipient of a large increase in short interest in the month of July. As of July 15th, there was short interest totalling 813,900 shares, an increase of 30.6% from the June 30th total of 623,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 244,700 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 3.3 days. Currently, 4.8% of the shares of the stock are short sold.

Insider Buying and Selling at American Public Education

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On American Public Education

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Innealta Capital LLC acquired a new position in American Public Education during the second quarter worth $34,000. Panagora Asset Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of American Public Education during the second quarter worth about $476,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp acquired a new stake in shares of American Public Education in the 2nd quarter worth about $880,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lifted its position in American Public Education by 329.5% in the 2nd quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 425,064 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,473,000 after acquiring an additional 326,091 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. acquired a new position in American Public Education during the 1st quarter valued at about $2,159,000. 79.62% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

American Public Education Stock Performance

NASDAQ:APEI traded down $0.77 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $19.56. The company had a trading volume of 195,993 shares, compared to its average volume of 205,728. American Public Education has a twelve month low of $4.05 and a twelve month high of $21.04. The company has a current ratio of 2.81, a quick ratio of 2.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $17.58 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $14.60.

American Public Education (NASDAQ:APEI) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, May 7th. The company reported ($0.06) EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.19) by $0.13. The business had revenue of $154.43 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $152.34 million. American Public Education had a positive return on equity of 5.97% and a negative net margin of 6.78%. On average, equities analysts predict that American Public Education will post 0.72 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

APEI has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Barrington Research lifted their price objective on American Public Education from $17.00 to $20.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 8th. B. Riley upped 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 American Public Education from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 16th.

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.