Zacks Research Issues Pessimistic Forecast for APEI Earnings

American Public Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:APEI) – Equities researchers at Zacks Research reduced their Q3 2026 EPS estimates for American Public Education in a research report issued on Monday, August 31st. Zacks Research analyst Team now expects that the company will post earnings of $0.26 per share for the quarter, down from their prior forecast of $0.46. Zacks Research currently has a “Hold” rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for American Public Education’s current full-year earnings is $2.63 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for American Public Education’s Q2 2027 earnings at $0.57 EPS and Q3 2027 earnings at $0.60 EPS.

American Public Education (NASDAQ:APEI) last issued its earnings results on Monday, August 10th. The company reported $0.52 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.36 by $0.16. The company had revenue of $171.73 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $170.88 million. American Public Education had a net margin of 6.84% and a return on equity of 15.30%. American Public Education has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.480-2.790 EPS and its Q3 2026 guidance at 0.180-0.290 EPS.

A number of other brokerages have also recently commented on APEI. B. Riley Financial upped their price target on American Public Education from $67.00 to $68.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 12th. Lake Street Capital upped their target price on shares of American Public Education from $62.00 to $64.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 11th. DA Davidson reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $64.00 price target on shares of American Public Education in a report on Monday, June 1st. Wall Street Zen downgraded American Public Education from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, August 15th. Finally, Barrington Research lifted their target price on American Public Education from $56.00 to $62.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 13th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, American Public Education currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $59.38.

American Public Education Stock Up 0.4%

Shares of American Public Education stock opened at $45.85 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 3.25, a current ratio of 3.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26. American Public Education has a 12 month low of $29.05 and a 12 month high of $61.59. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $50.45 and a 200 day simple moving average of $52.02. The stock has a market cap of $839.05 million, a PE ratio of 18.87, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.16 and a beta of 1.39.

Insider Activity

In related news, SVP Thomas Beckett sold 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, June 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $54.00, for a total transaction of $108,000.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 52,172 shares in the company, valued at $2,817,288. This trade represents a 3.69% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 10.60% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On American Public Education

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. UBS Group AG lifted its holdings in shares of American Public Education by 9.3% in the fourth quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 263,533 shares of the company’s stock valued at $9,962,000 after purchasing an additional 22,472 shares in the last quarter. Royce & Associates LP boosted its position in shares of American Public Education by 10.7% during the fourth quarter. Royce & Associates LP now owns 358,543 shares of the company’s stock worth $13,553,000 after buying an additional 34,751 shares during the period. PVG Asset Management Corp boosted its position in shares of American Public Education by 502.3% during the first quarter. PVG Asset Management Corp now owns 42,935 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,220,000 after buying an additional 35,807 shares during the period. CenterBook Partners LP grew its holdings in shares of American Public Education by 19.8% during the fourth quarter. CenterBook Partners LP now owns 119,268 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,508,000 after buying an additional 19,736 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Globeflex Capital L P acquired a new stake in American Public Education in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $2,498,000. 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.