Zacks Research Issues Optimistic Estimate for APEI Earnings

American Public Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:APEI) – Stock analysts at Zacks Research boosted their Q4 2027 earnings estimates for American Public Education in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday, July 14th. Zacks Research analyst Team now expects that the company will earn $0.91 per share for the quarter, up from their prior estimate of $0.90. Zacks Research currently has a “Strong-Buy” rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for American Public Education’s current full-year earnings is $2.59 per share.

A number of other research firms also recently weighed in on APEI. Lake Street Capital restated a “buy” rating and issued a $62.00 target price on shares of American Public Education in a research report on Tuesday, May 12th. Barrington Research increased their price target on shares of American Public Education from $56.00 to $62.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 13th. DA Davidson reissued a “buy” rating and set a $64.00 price target on shares of American Public Education in a research note on Monday, June 1st. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of American Public Education from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Sunday. Finally, B. Riley Financial increased their target price on shares of American Public Education from $67.00 to $68.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 12th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, American Public Education has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $59.12.

American Public Education Price Performance

Shares of American Public Education stock opened at $49.23 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 2.98, a quick ratio of 2.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27. The firm has a market capitalization of $903.03 million, a PE ratio of 26.05, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.49 and a beta of 1.37. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $53.76 and its 200-day moving average price is $50.33. American Public Education has a 12 month low of $27.74 and a 12 month high of $61.59.

American Public Education (NASDAQ:APEI) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, May 11th. The company reported $0.94 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.61 by $0.33. The company had revenue of $174.74 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $173.73 million. American Public Education had a net margin of 6.13% and a return on equity of 14.02%. American Public Education has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 0.340-0.390 EPS.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, SVP Thomas Beckett sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $54.00, for a total transaction of $108,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 52,172 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,817,288. This represents a 3.69% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders own 10.60% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On American Public Education

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. increased its position in shares of American Public Education by 4.3% in the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 9,386 shares of the company’s stock valued at $209,000 after acquiring an additional 390 shares during the period. Militia Capital Partners LP boosted its holdings in shares of American Public Education by 7.2% during the second quarter. Militia Capital Partners LP now owns 7,432 shares of the company’s stock worth $226,000 after purchasing an additional 500 shares during the period. Legal & General Group Plc grew its stake in shares of American Public Education by 40.5% in the second 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. Creative Planning grew its stake in shares of American Public Education by 5.5% in the third quarter. Creative Planning now owns 11,795 shares of the company’s stock worth $466,000 after purchasing an additional 618 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Diversified Trust Co increased its holdings in American Public Education by 8.6% during the 1st quarter. Diversified Trust Co now owns 7,818 shares of the company’s stock valued at $445,000 after purchasing an additional 621 shares during the period. 79.62% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Key Stories Impacting American Public Education

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

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research upgraded APEI from Hold to Strong-Buy, signaling improved analyst sentiment on the company’s outlook. Tickerreport.com article
• Positive Sentiment: The firm increased its FY2027 EPS estimate to $2.89 from $2.85, above the current consensus estimate of $2.59, indicating expectations for stronger long-term earnings. Tickerreport.com article
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks also lifted its Q1 2027 and Q3 2027 EPS estimates to $0.68 and $0.69, respectively, while raising Q2 2027 to $0.62 and Q2 2028 to $0.71, reinforcing a constructive earnings trend for APEI. Tickerreport.com article

American Public Education Company Profile

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.