American Public Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:APEI) Sees Large Increase in Short Interest

Key Points

• Short interest in APEI surged 46.5% in March to 2,438,695 shares, equal to about 16.1% of the stock and leaving a days-to-cover ratio of 5.0.
• American Public Education beat expectations for the quarter with $0.67 EPS vs $0.39 and $158.33M revenue, set Q1 FY2026 guidance of $0.580–0.640, and holds a consensus analyst rating of “Moderate Buy” with a $55.50 target.
• Company insiders have been net sellers recently, offloading 377,071 shares (≈$20.75M) in the past 90 days, though insiders still own 17.54% of the company.

American Public Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:APEI - Get Free Report) was the target of a significant increase in short interest in the month of March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totaling 2,438,695 shares, an increase of 46.5% from the March 15th total of 1,664,522 shares. Approximately 16.1% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 488,164 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 5.0 days.

American Public Education Stock Down 2.0%

NASDAQ:APEI opened at $57.23 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 42.08, a PEG ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 1.49. American Public Education has a 1-year low of $21.85 and a 1-year high of $59.42. The company has a current ratio of 3.46, a quick ratio of 3.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The business's fifty day moving average price is $50.05 and its 200 day moving average price is $41.67.

American Public Education (NASDAQ:APEI - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, March 12th. The company reported $0.67 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.39 by $0.28. The firm had revenue of $158.33 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $151.61 million. American Public Education had a return on equity of 11.30% and a net margin of 4.86%.American Public Education has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 0.580-0.640 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that American Public Education will post 0.47 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have recently commented on APEI. B. Riley Financial upped their target price on American Public Education from $53.00 to $57.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, March 13th. DA Davidson upped their target price on American Public Education from $48.00 to $58.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, March 16th. William Blair set a $58.00 target price on American Public Education in a report on Friday, March 13th. Barrington Research upped their target price on American Public Education from $51.00 to $56.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, March 13th. Finally, Lake Street Capital upped their target price on American Public Education from $47.00 to $56.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, March 13th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have given a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $55.50.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, SVP Thomas Beckett sold 2,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, March 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $57.70, for a total value of $115,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 62,172 shares in the company, valued at $3,587,324.40. This represents a 3.12% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, insider Nuno S. Fernandes sold 1,100 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $54.08, for a total value of $59,488.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 83,075 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,492,696. This trade represents a 1.31% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 377,071 shares of company stock valued at $20,753,569. 17.54% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of APEI. Osaic Holdings Inc. raised its position in American Public Education by 5,909.5% during the second quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. now owns 1,262 shares of the company's stock valued at $38,000 after buying an additional 1,241 shares during the period. Valley National Advisers Inc. acquired a new position in American Public Education during the fourth quarter valued at $39,000. State of Alaska Department of Revenue acquired a new position in American Public Education during the third quarter valued at $40,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets raised its position in American Public Education by 84.1% during the second quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 1,616 shares of the company's stock valued at $49,000 after buying an additional 738 shares during the period. Finally, Legal & General Group Plc increased its position in American Public Education by 40.5% in the 2nd quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 1,914 shares of the company's stock worth $58,000 after purchasing an additional 552 shares during the last quarter. 79.62% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About American Public Education

American Public Education, Inc operates as a provider of online postsecondary education, offering degree and certificate programs through its wholly owned subsidiary, American Public University System (APUS). The company designs and delivers a broad range of undergraduate and graduate programs in fields such as business administration, information technology, criminal justice, homeland security, health sciences, and education. Its curriculum is developed to meet the needs of working adults, military personnel, veterans and civilian students seeking flexible, career-relevant learning opportunities.

APUS is regionally accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education and employs a proprietary online learning platform that supports asynchronous instruction, digital course materials and interactive learning tools.

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