Zacks Research Has Positive Outlook for APEI Q1 Earnings

American Public Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:APEI) – Zacks Research lifted their Q1 2026 EPS estimates for shares of American Public Education in a report released on Thursday, March 26th. Zacks Research analyst Team now forecasts that the company will earn $0.59 per share for the quarter, up from their previous forecast of $0.45. Zacks Research currently has a “Strong-Buy” rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for American Public Education’s current full-year earnings is $0.47 per share.

Several other analysts have also recently issued reports on the company. Northland Securities set a $51.00 price objective on American Public Education in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. B. Riley Financial raised their target price on shares of American Public Education from $53.00 to $57.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, March 13th. Barrington Research boosted their price target on shares of American Public Education from $51.00 to $56.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, March 13th. Lake Street Capital upped their price target on shares of American Public Education from $47.00 to $56.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, March 13th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered shares of American Public Education from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, March 14th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, American Public Education has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $55.50.

American Public Education Stock Performance

NASDAQ APEI opened at $56.50 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.04 billion, a PE ratio of 41.54, a P/E/G ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 1.70. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $46.97 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $40.17. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 3.46 and a quick ratio of 3.46. American Public Education has a 1-year low of $20.75 and a 1-year high of $59.42.

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

In other news, 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 transaction, the senior vice president owned 49,917 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,779,378.56. The trade was a 28.61% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, SVP Thomas Beckett sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $57.70, for a total value of $115,400.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 62,172 shares in the company, valued at $3,587,324.40. The trade was a 3.12% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 377,071 shares of company stock worth $20,753,569. Company insiders own 17.54% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On American Public Education

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Pacer Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of American Public Education by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 63,644 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,406,000 after acquiring an additional 652 shares during the last quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp grew its holdings in American Public Education by 6.5% during the 4th quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 51,377 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,919,000 after purchasing an additional 3,141 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC raised its position in American Public Education by 1.1% in the 4th quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 110,614 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,181,000 after purchasing an additional 1,150 shares during the period. Millennium Management LLC purchased a new stake in American Public Education in the 4th quarter worth about $997,000. Finally, Engineers Gate Manager LP lifted its stake in American Public Education by 99.9% in the fourth quarter. Engineers Gate Manager LP now owns 12,270 shares of the company’s stock worth $464,000 after purchasing an additional 6,132 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 79.62% of the company’s stock.

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.