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

American Public Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:APEI) was the recipient of a large growth in short interest in March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totalling 427,900 shares, a growth of 9.8% from the March 15th total of 389,600 shares. Currently, 2.6% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 172,100 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 2.5 days.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

APEI has been the subject of several analyst reports. B. Riley reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $15.00 price objective (up from $12.00) on shares of American Public Education in a report on Wednesday, March 6th. Truist Financial boosted their price target on American Public Education from $6.00 to $15.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 6th. Finally, Barrington Research boosted their price target on American Public Education from $15.00 to $17.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, March 22nd.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On American Public Education

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. BlackRock Inc. increased its holdings in American Public Education by 32.6% in the 1st quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 1,669,641 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,049,000 after purchasing an additional 410,037 shares in the last quarter. Prescott Group Capital Management L.L.C. grew its position in shares of American Public Education by 11.1% in the 3rd quarter. Prescott Group Capital Management L.L.C. now owns 1,184,568 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,899,000 after buying an additional 118,300 shares during the last quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC grew its position in shares of American Public Education by 17.8% in the 1st quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 1,040,511 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,640,000 after buying an additional 156,900 shares during the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE grew its position in shares of American Public Education by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 979,305 shares of the company’s stock valued at $12,036,000 after buying an additional 5,155 shares during the last quarter. Finally, State Street Corp grew its position in shares of American Public Education by 1.8% in the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 668,838 shares of the company’s stock valued at $10,808,000 after buying an additional 11,869 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.62% of the company’s stock.

American Public Education Price Performance

Shares of APEI opened at $12.57 on Wednesday. American Public Education has a 12-month low of $3.76 and a 12-month high of $16.39. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $12.49 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $9.43. The company has a quick ratio of 2.94, a current ratio of 2.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38. The stock has a market cap of $220.73 million, a PE ratio of -4.28, a PEG ratio of 1.36 and a beta of 1.29.

American Public Education (NASDAQ:APEI) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, March 5th. The company reported $0.64 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.14 by $0.50. American Public Education had a positive return on equity of 3.26% and a negative net margin of 7.87%. The business had revenue of $152.80 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $150.54 million. Analysts anticipate that American Public Education will post 0.62 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.