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American Public Education Inc. short interest

2.6M shares of American Public Education were sold short at the 15 October 2026 settlement, the most at any settlement since 29 Dec 2017, when our record starts. Short sellers would need 11.2 days of normal trading to buy them back.

Shares sold short2.6Mat 15 Oct 2026
Change on the settlement before+9.0%+131% over a year
Days to cover11.25at 230K shares a day
Of shares in issue14.06%shares short over shares outstanding
New to this? How to read this page
  1. Short interest is the number of shares investors have borrowed and sold, betting the price will fall, and not yet bought back.
  2. Days to cover is shares short over an average day's trading: how many days it would take short sellers to buy them all back. Above 5 or so is high.
  3. Rising short interest says more investors are betting against the stock. A crowded short can also rise fast if shorts rush to buy back.
  4. Brokers report it twice a month to FINRA, about ten days after each settlement date.
  5. What is short interest?

Short interest, days to cover and the price

Short interest is the most at any settlement since 29 Dec 2017, when our record starts, and the share price moved +17% over the last year.

Shares sold shortDays to coverShare price

Three charts on one timeline. Top: shares sold short at each settlement. Middle: days to cover, taller meaning shorts would need longer to buy back. Bottom: the share price, so you can see whether shorts added as the price fell or rose.

How it compares

every company on the site

    The bar ranks every company on the site from the lowest on the left to the highest on the right, in three equal thirds; the small figures under it are the values where each third starts, and the black tick is the middle company. The orange dot is this company; the grey ticks are the other companies in its industry (hover or tap for names). A hatched block is companies tied at none.

    Every settlement since 29 Dec 2017 as a table
    SettlementShares shortChangeAverage daily volumeDays to cover
    15 October 20262.6M+9.0%230K11.25
    30 September 20262.4M+18.4%294K8.05
    15 September 20262.0M+6.6%204K9.81
    31 August 20261.9M+6.3%242K7.77
    14 August 20261.8M-2.5%388K4.56
    31 July 20261.8M-5.1%315K5.75
    15 July 20261.9M-4.5%339K5.62
    30 June 20262.0M+3.2%330K6.06
    15 June 20261.9M+1.5%173K11.18
    29 May 20261.9M-12.4%220K8.66
    15 May 20262.2M-2.6%309K7.05
    30 April 20262.2M-6.7%240K9.34
    15 April 20262.4M-1.7%239K10.01
    31 March 20262.4M+46.5%488K5.00
    13 March 20261.7M+0.6%528K3.15
    27 February 20261.7M-3.9%240K6.90
    13 February 20261.7M+0.5%245K7.02
    30 January 20261.7M+0.8%196K8.74
    15 January 20261.7M-1.4%242K7.01
    31 December 20251.7M-10.1%232K7.41
    15 December 20251.9M+6.1%282K6.79
    28 November 20251.8M+28.1%293K6.17
    14 November 20251.4M+26.9%378K3.73
    31 October 20251.1M-0.5%321K3.47
    15 October 20251.1M-11.6%208K5.36
    30 September 20251.3M-1.6%197K6.43
    15 September 20251.3M-1.2%263K4.88
    29 August 20251.3M-9.8%248K5.24
    15 August 20251.4M-7.2%284K5.08
    31 July 20251.6M+30.5%269K5.77
    15 July 20251.2M+13.6%315K3.78
    30 June 20251.0M+38.4%353K2.97
    13 June 2025757K+38.3%327K2.31
    30 May 2025547K-23.1%271K2.02
    15 May 2025711K+5.0%212K3.35
    30 April 2025677K-12.7%180K3.76
    15 April 2025775K+0.5%103K7.56
    31 March 2025771K+4.1%96K8.06
    14 March 2025741K+7.2%163K4.54
    28 February 2025692K-13.2%89K7.77
    14 February 2025797K+8.8%87K9.19
    31 January 2025733K-10.1%76K9.60
    15 January 2025815K+16.8%89K9.13
    31 December 2024698K-7.8%149K4.69
    13 December 2024756K+7.0%95K7.92
    29 November 2024707K-5.0%98K7.25
    15 November 2024744K-1.3%176K4.22
    31 October 2024754K-22.6%85K8.90
    15 October 2024974K+11.1%85K11.40
    30 September 2024876K-9.2%151K5.82
    13 September 2024965K+2.0%115K8.42
    30 August 2024946K+11.8%192K4.93
    15 August 2024846K-9.1%465K1.82
    31 July 2024931K+14.4%323K2.89
    15 July 2024814K+30.6%257K3.16
    28 June 2024623K-3.4%534K1.17
    14 June 2024645K+56.4%150K4.31
    31 May 2024413K-13.6%114K3.61
    15 May 2024477K-14.6%237K2.01
    30 April 2024559K+13.3%101K5.52
    15 April 2024494K+15.4%102K4.82
    28 March 2024428K+9.8%154K2.78
    15 March 2024390K+95.3%268K1.45
    29 February 2024199K-41.0%138K1.44
    15 February 2024338K+26.0%133K2.54
    31 January 2024268K+2.8%196K1.37
    12 January 2024261K+62.2%157K1.66
    29 December 2023161K+50.0%84K1.91
    15 December 2023107K-23.4%121K1.00
    30 November 2023140K+16.8%73K1.91
    15 November 2023120K-3.4%50K2.37
    31 October 2023124K-9.6%32K3.84
    13 October 2023137K-11.1%39K3.48
    29 September 2023154K-14.8%50K3.07
    15 September 2023181K-21.5%51K3.55
    31 August 2023231K-6.8%67K3.45
    15 August 2023248K-11.5%88K2.80
    31 July 2023280K-26.0%65K4.33
    14 July 2023379K-13.5%82K4.62
    30 June 2023438K-42.9%503K1.00
    15 June 2023767K+1.6%170K4.51
    31 May 2023755K-1.4%128K5.87
    15 May 2023765K-7.5%173K4.42
    28 April 2023828K-1.8%228K3.63
    14 April 2023843K+2.4%350K2.41
    31 March 2023822K+125.0%690K1.19
    15 March 2023366K+22.0%433K1.00
    28 February 2023300K-4.4%123K2.43
    15 February 2023313K-16.6%161K1.95
    31 January 2023376K+20.1%127K2.95
    13 January 2023313K-3.9%99K3.15
    30 December 2022325K+3.6%92K3.53
    15 December 2022314K-27.3%119K2.63
    30 November 2022432K-17.7%160K2.70
    15 November 2022525K-39.1%136K3.85
    31 October 2022862K-3.8%126K6.84
    14 October 2022896K+68.0%172K5.21
    30 September 2022533K-33.3%668K1.00
    15 September 2022799K+99.2%415K1.93
    31 August 2022401K+25.7%101K3.98
    15 August 2022319K-3.4%55K5.78
    29 July 2022330K-2.6%38K8.58
    15 July 2022339K-3.5%43K7.92
    30 June 2022352K+8.3%61K5.72
    15 June 2022325K+2.8%49K6.67
    31 May 2022316K+1.7%93K3.38
    13 May 2022310K+1.1%85K3.64
    29 April 2022307K-13.6%42K7.28
    14 April 2022355K-12.1%51K7.03
    31 March 2022404K-14.2%76K5.30
    15 March 2022471K-11.5%99K4.77
    28 February 2022532K+21.9%78K6.84
    15 February 2022437K+23.6%71K6.14
    31 January 2022353K+13.8%77K4.61
    14 January 2022310K-0.0%54K5.70
    31 December 2021310K+3.7%139K2.23
    15 December 2021299K-1.7%109K2.75
    30 November 2021305K+6.0%140K2.17
    15 November 2021287K+18.6%75K3.84
    29 October 2021242K+5.5%55K4.41
    15 October 2021230K-15.8%48K4.82
    30 September 2021273K-32.8%95K2.87
    15 September 2021406K-11.5%89K4.58
    31 August 2021459K+27.8%81K5.66
    13 August 2021359K+12.5%151K2.38
    30 July 2021319K-5.3%91K3.51
    15 July 2021337K-3.7%98K3.43
    30 June 2021350K+113.0%159K2.20
    15 June 2021164K-31.5%124K1.33
    28 May 2021240K-5.8%146K1.64
    14 May 2021254K-34.6%191K1.33
    30 April 2021389K-4.9%65K6.00
    15 April 2021409K-10.6%101K4.05
    31 March 2021457K+22.6%211K2.17
    15 March 2021373K+30.9%182K2.05
    26 February 2021285K+12.1%133K2.14
    12 February 2021254K+0.9%76K3.34
    29 January 2021252K-1.9%56K4.46
    15 January 2021257K+1.0%60K4.29
    31 December 2020254K+9.8%108K2.35
    15 December 2020232K-6.4%43K5.44
    30 November 2020247K-4.7%57K4.38
    13 November 2020260K+4.7%65K3.97
    30 October 2020248K-27.1%59K4.21
    15 October 2020340K+13.8%70K4.85
    30 September 2020299K-18.4%73K4.09
    15 September 2020366K-8.2%73K5.04
    31 August 2020399K-18.2%82K4.88
    14 August 2020487K+46.6%91K5.34
    31 July 2020332K-3.7%67K4.97
    15 July 2020345K+7.4%68K5.07
    30 June 2020321K+8.2%113K2.85
    15 June 2020297K+29.2%100K2.96
    29 May 2020230K+1.9%74K3.12
    15 May 2020225K-10.8%100K2.26
    30 April 2020253K+18.1%63K3.99
    15 April 2020214K-18.1%82K2.63
    31 March 2020261K-27.8%137K1.91
    13 March 2020362K+36.2%102K3.56
    28 February 2020265K-5.9%68K3.89
    14 February 2020282K-1.4%58K4.86
    31 January 2020286K-1.4%54K5.34
    15 January 2020290K+0.4%55K5.26
    31 December 2019289K-16.2%133K2.18
    13 December 2019345K+8.4%112K3.09
    29 November 2019318K+13.7%102K3.12
    15 November 2019280K+22.7%152K1.84
    31 October 2019228K+17.8%161K1.42
    15 October 2019193K-0.2%120K1.61
    30 September 2019194K-19.3%165K1.18
    13 September 2019240K-29.9%146K1.64
    30 August 2019342K+20.5%84K4.07
    15 August 2019284K-3.4%116K2.44
    31 July 2019294K-10.1%84K3.51
    15 July 2019327K-1.1%56K5.86
    28 June 2019331K+3.2%83K4.01
    14 June 2019321K-1.0%64K5.00
    31 May 2019324K+2.2%85K3.82
    15 May 2019317K+13.3%137K2.32
    30 April 2019280K-16.6%98K2.84
    15 April 2019335K+10.4%85K3.95
    29 March 2019304K-23.2%74K4.10
    15 March 2019395K-0.1%114K3.48
    28 February 2019396K+10.1%69K5.77
    15 February 2019359K+14.0%53K6.77
    31 January 2019315K+22.4%72K4.37
    15 January 2019257K+9.2%75K3.43
    31 December 2018236K+7.5%111K2.13
    14 December 2018219K-12.5%91K2.40
    30 November 2018251K-24.4%121K2.07
    15 November 2018332K+44.3%149K2.23
    31 October 2018230K+14.2%64K3.58
    15 October 2018201K-10.6%57K3.52
    28 September 2018225K-12.0%90K2.50
    14 September 2018256K-12.0%82K3.14
    31 August 2018291K-10.5%92K3.15
    15 August 2018325K+28.0%155K2.10
    31 July 2018254K+1.5%99K2.56
    13 July 2018250K-4.5%66K3.80
    29 June 2018262K-10.1%145K1.80
    15 June 2018291K+55.9%112K2.60
    31 May 2018187K-63.1%161K1.16
    15 May 2018506K+20.6%181K2.79
    30 April 2018419K-10.0%92K4.54
    13 April 2018466K-19.8%127K3.66
    29 March 2018581K-19.9%299K1.94
    15 March 2018725K+11.3%243K2.98
    28 February 2018651K-18.2%119K5.47
    15 February 2018796K-14.0%93K8.59
    31 January 2018926K+3.0%80K11.58
    12 January 2018899K-2.8%50K17.86
    29 December 2017925K45K20.59
    Shares in millions (M) or thousands (K); hold the pointer on a figure for the exact count. FINRA publishes consolidated short interest twice a month, about ten days after each settlement.