Zacks Research Brokers Decrease Earnings Estimates for APEI

American Public Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:APEI) – Stock analysts at Zacks Research lowered their Q2 2026 EPS estimates for shares of American Public Education in a report issued on Monday, May 25th. Zacks Research analyst Team now forecasts that the company will post earnings per share of $0.35 for the quarter, down from their prior estimate of $0.37. Zacks Research currently has a “Hold” rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for American Public Education’s current full-year earnings is $2.59 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for American Public Education’s Q4 2026 earnings at $0.88 EPS and Q4 2027 earnings at $0.90 EPS.

Other equities analysts have also issued reports about the stock. William Blair set a $58.00 price target on shares of American Public Education in a research report on Friday, March 13th. Barrington Research raised their price target on shares of American Public Education from $56.00 to $62.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 13th. Northland Securities set a $51.00 price target on shares of American Public Education in a research report on Wednesday, February 18th. DA Davidson raised their price target on shares of American Public Education from $58.00 to $64.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 13th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of American Public Education from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 16th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, American Public Education currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $59.13.

American Public Education Price Performance

NASDAQ:APEI opened at $52.01 on Thursday. American Public Education has a 52 week low of $25.80 and a 52 week high of $61.59. The firm has a market cap of $953.86 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.52, a P/E/G ratio of 1.36 and a beta of 1.46. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $56.20 and its 200 day simple moving average is $45.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a quick ratio of 2.98 and a current ratio of 2.98.

American Public Education (NASDAQ:APEI) last posted its earnings results on Monday, May 11th. The company reported $0.94 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.61 by $0.33. The company had revenue of $174.74 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations 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.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On American Public Education

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in APEI. Osaic Holdings Inc. boosted its stake in shares of American Public Education by 5,909.5% in the 2nd quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. now owns 1,262 shares of the company’s stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 1,241 shares in the last quarter. Valley National Advisers Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of American Public Education in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $39,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets boosted its stake in shares of American Public Education by 84.1% in the 2nd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 1,616 shares of the company’s stock valued at $49,000 after purchasing an additional 738 shares in the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc boosted its stake in shares of American Public Education by 40.5% in the 2nd quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 1,914 shares of the company’s stock valued at $58,000 after purchasing an additional 552 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Tower Research Capital LLC TRC boosted its position in American Public Education by 96.5% during the 2nd quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 2,643 shares of the company’s stock worth $81,000 after buying an additional 1,298 shares during the period. 79.62% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CMO Karmela Gaffney sold 2,700 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.87, for a total value of $150,849.00. Following the sale, the chief marketing officer directly owned 40,527 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,264,243.49. This trade represents a 6.25% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider 325 Capital Llc sold 65,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $53.78, for a total transaction of $3,495,700.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 836,234 shares in the company, valued at approximately $44,972,664.52. The trade was a 7.21% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 377,071 shares of company stock worth $20,753,569 in the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 10.60% of the company’s stock.

Key American Public Education News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research raised its FY2026 EPS estimate for American Public Education to $2.63 from $2.33, signaling better near-term earnings potential.
• Positive Sentiment: The analyst firm also increased its FY2027 EPS forecast to $2.85, along with higher Q1 2027, Q2 2027, and Q3 2027 estimates, reinforcing a better growth outlook.
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research nudged its Q3 2026 and Q1 2028 estimates higher as well, which suggests confidence in APEI’s earnings trajectory over multiple periods.
• Neutral Sentiment: American Public Education’s annual meeting news that shareholders backed directors and governance appears supportive of stability, but it is not likely a major direct stock catalyst. American Public Education Shareholders Back Directors and Governance
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks also highlighted APEI as a strong value stock, which is supportive for investor sentiment but is not a formal upgrade or a new operational development. Here’s Why American Public Education (APEI) is a Strong Value Stock
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks trimmed its Q1 2028 EPS estimate slightly to $0.75 from $0.77 and kept only a Hold rating, limiting the upside signal from the report.
• Negative Sentiment: The firm also lowered its FY2028 estimate marginally to $3.17 from $3.18, a very small cut but still a mild headwind.

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.