Q1 Earnings Estimate for APEI Issued By Northland Securities

American Public Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:APEI) – Investment analysts at Northland Securities lifted their Q1 2026 EPS estimates for shares of American Public Education in a report issued on Friday, March 13th. Northland Securities analyst L. Horton now anticipates that the company will post earnings of $0.62 per share for the quarter, up from their previous estimate of $0.54. The consensus estimate for American Public Education’s current full-year earnings is $0.47 per share. Northland Securities also issued estimates for American Public Education’s Q2 2026 earnings at $0.35 EPS, Q3 2026 earnings at $0.47 EPS, Q4 2026 earnings at $0.90 EPS and FY2026 earnings at $2.35 EPS.

A number of other equities analysts also recently weighed in on the company. Wall Street Zen downgraded American Public Education from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday. Barrington Research lifted their price objective on shares of American Public Education from $51.00 to $56.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, March 13th. Truist Financial boosted their price objective on shares of American Public Education from $38.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday. William Blair set a $58.00 target price on shares of American Public Education in a report on Friday. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of American Public Education in a research report on Monday, December 29th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have assigned a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $55.50.

American Public Education Stock Up 1.2%

APEI stock opened at $55.98 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 3.46 and a quick ratio of 3.46. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.16, a P/E/G ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 1.70. American Public Education has a fifty-two week low of $20.75 and a fifty-two week high of $58.69. The business has a 50-day moving average of $44.09 and a 200-day moving average of $38.66.

American Public Education (NASDAQ:APEI) last released its earnings results on Thursday, March 12th. The company reported $0.67 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.39 by $0.28. The firm had revenue of $158.33 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations 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.

Insider Activity at American Public Education

In related news, SVP Thomas Beckett sold 2,000 shares of American Public Education stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $57.70, for a total transaction of $115,400.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 62,172 shares in the company, valued at $3,587,324.40. This trade represents a 3.12% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, SVP Tanya Joy Axenson sold 20,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.68, for a total transaction of $1,113,600.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 49,917 shares in the company, valued at $2,779,378.56. The trade was a 28.61% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 28,500 shares of company stock worth $1,579,155 in the last quarter. 17.54% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of American Public Education

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Osaic Holdings Inc. lifted its holdings in American Public Education by 5,909.5% during the 2nd quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. now owns 1,262 shares of the company’s stock worth $38,000 after buying an additional 1,241 shares during the period. Valley National Advisers Inc. bought a new stake in shares of American Public Education in the 4th quarter valued at about $39,000. State of Alaska Department of Revenue acquired a new stake in shares of American Public Education in the third quarter valued at about $40,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets raised its position in shares of American Public Education by 84.1% during the second quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 1,616 shares of the company’s stock worth $49,000 after acquiring an additional 738 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Legal & General Group Plc raised its position in shares of American Public Education by 40.5% during the second quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 1,914 shares of the company’s stock worth $58,000 after acquiring an additional 552 shares during the last quarter. 79.62% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Trending Headlines about American Public Education

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

• Positive Sentiment: DA Davidson raised its price target to $58 and kept a Buy rating, supporting upside expectations after the company’s recent results. DA Davidson Price Target Raise
• Positive Sentiment: Multiple outlets/reporters published higher targets recently (AmericanBankingNews coverage noting $56 and $57 targets), adding momentum to the bullish analyst narrative. Price Target $56 Price Target $57
• Positive Sentiment: Equity coverage is constructive: Zacks highlights upward earnings revisions and says APEI may be poised for further gains—supportive for investor sentiment. Zacks Coverage
• Positive Sentiment: Media note: coverage praising APEI’s “stellar Q4” and diversified portfolio reinforces the view that recent earnings and revenue strength are sustainable. Q4 Performance Article
• Neutral Sentiment: Short-interest reports show an apparent spike but contain zero-share totals and NaN changes — likely a data anomaly rather than a genuine change in bearish positioning; days-to-cover reads as 0.0. (No authoritative link provided in the release.)
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling: three insiders sold shares on March 16 — SVP Tanya Joy Axenson sold 20,000 shares at ~$55.68 (SEC filing), Nuno S. Fernandes sold 6,500 shares at ~$53.87 (SEC filing), and SVP Thomas Beckett sold 2,000 shares at ~$57.70 (SEC filing). These sizable disposals (largest ~28.6% reduction for Axenson) can create short-term selling pressure or raise investor questions about timing, though insiders may sell for personal/liquidity reasons. Axenson Form 4 Fernandes Form 4 Beckett Form 4

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.