American Public Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:APEI) Stock Has Consensus Price Target of $59.38

Shares of American Public Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:APEI) have earned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the seven research firms that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, four have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price target among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $59.38.

Several research firms have recently weighed in on APEI. Zacks Research cut American Public Education from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report 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. DA Davidson raised shares of American Public Education to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday. Weiss Ratings cut shares of American Public Education from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Finally, Lake Street Capital increased their price objective on shares of American Public Education from $62.00 to $64.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 11th.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On American Public Education

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in APEI. Tidal Investments LLC acquired a new stake in shares of American Public Education in the 2nd quarter valued at about $399,000. Engineers Gate Manager LP boosted its position in shares of American Public Education by 26.5% during the second quarter. Engineers Gate Manager LP now owns 34,006 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,826,000 after buying an additional 7,132 shares during the period. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC bought a new position in shares of American Public Education during the second quarter worth about $47,000. IFP Advisors Inc grew its holdings in shares of American Public Education by 111.8% during the second quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 2,360 shares of the company’s stock worth $127,000 after buying an additional 1,246 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Squarepoint Ops LLC raised its position in American Public Education by 329.7% in the 2nd quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC now owns 48,287 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,593,000 after buying an additional 37,049 shares during the last quarter. 79.62% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

American Public Education Trading Up 3.7%

APEI opened at $47.77 on Friday. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $45.49 and its two-hundred day moving average is $51.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26, a quick ratio of 3.25 and a current ratio of 3.25. The firm has a market cap of $874.19 million, a PE ratio of 19.66, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.17 and a beta of 1.41. American Public Education has a twelve month low of $30.20 and a twelve month high of $61.59.

American Public Education (NASDAQ:APEI) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, August 10th. The company reported $0.52 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.36 by $0.16. American Public Education had a net margin of 6.84% and a return on equity of 15.30%. The company had revenue of $171.73 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $170.88 million. 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. Equities research analysts anticipate that American Public Education will post 2.63 EPS for the current year.

About American Public Education

American Public Education, Inc (NASDAQ: APEI) is a provider of postsecondary education and career-focused learning programs. Through its institutions, the company offers undergraduate and graduate degrees, certificates, professional development, and vocational training in areas including business, public service, healthcare, nursing, technology, and related fields.

APEI’s principal education platforms include American Public University System, which operates American Public University and American Military University; Rasmussen University; and Hondros College of Nursing.