American Public Education (NASDAQ:APEI) Releases FY 2026 Earnings Guidance

American Public Education (NASDAQ:APEI) issued an update on its FY 2026 earnings guidance on Tuesday morning. The company provided earnings per share guidance of 2.590-2.840 for the period, compared to the consensus EPS estimate of 2.950. The company issued revenue guidance of $695.0 million-$701.0 million, compared to the consensus revenue estimate of $693.5 million. American Public Education also updated its Q4 2026 guidance to 0.810-1.070 EPS.

American Public Education Stock Performance

NASDAQ APEI opened at $40.20 on Wednesday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $44.56 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $49.53. 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 $32.96 and a 12-month high of $61.59. The firm has a market cap of $735.66 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.41, a PEG ratio of 0.99 and a beta of 1.49.

American Public Education (NASDAQ:APEI) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, November 9th. The company reported $0.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.26 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $169.14 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $165.79 million. American Public Education had a return on equity of 15.08% and a net margin of 6.83%. On average, equities analysts forecast that American Public Education will post 2.63 EPS for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. DA Davidson upgraded American Public Education to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, October 5th. Lake Street Capital lifted their price target on American Public Education from $62.00 to $64.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 11th. Wall Street Zen cut American Public Education from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, August 15th. B. Riley Financial boosted their price objective on American Public Education from $65.00 to $68.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, Weiss Ratings downgraded American Public Education from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 15th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have assigned a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, American Public Education currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $59.38.

Insider Activity

In other American Public Education news, insider James Kenigsberg sold 1,256 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $47.69, for a total value of $59,898.64. Following the transaction, the insider owned 43,473 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,073,227.37. The trade was a 2.81% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders own 10.60% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting American Public Education

Here are the key news stories impacting American Public Education this week:

• Positive Sentiment: APEI reported third-quarter EPS of $0.32, beating the $0.26 consensus, and revenue of $169.14 million, ahead of the $165.79 million estimate. The company said revenue, net income, EPS and adjusted EBITDA all exceeded its guidance, and it raised full-year 2026 guidance across key metrics. American Public Education third-quarter results
• Positive Sentiment: Northland Securities raised its EPS estimates for FY2026 to $2.70 from $2.58 and FY2027 to $3.10 from $3.06, alongside modest increases to its quarterly forecasts. The revisions suggest improved analyst expectations.
• Positive Sentiment: B. Riley raised its price target to $68 from $65 and maintained a “buy” rating.
• Neutral Sentiment: APEI’s fourth-quarter EPS guidance of $0.81–$1.07 brackets the $0.95 consensus, while its revenue range of $179.4 million–$185.4 million also brackets expectations. Full-year revenue guidance of $695 million–$701 million is above the $693.5 million consensus.
• Negative Sentiment: Despite the increase in full-year guidance, the 2026 EPS range of $2.59–$2.84 has a midpoint below the $2.95 analyst consensus, which could temper the positive reaction to the earnings beat.

About American Public Education

American Public Education, Inc. (APEI) is a provider of higher education through a portfolio of institutions that includes American Public University System, Rasmussen University and Hondros College of Nursing. Its offerings span online and campus-based programs in areas such as nursing and health care, business, technology, education and public service. American Public University System includes American Military University and American Public University. Founded in 1991 as American Military University, it delivers online programs to military-affiliated students, public-service professionals and other learners in the United States and abroad.