American Public Education (NASDAQ:APEI) Posts Quarterly Earnings Results, Beats Expectations By $0.06 EPS

American Public Education (NASDAQ:APEI) released its quarterly earnings data on Monday. The company reported $0.32 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.26 by $0.06, FiscalAI reports. American Public Education had a return on equity of 15.30% and a net margin of 6.84%. The company had revenue of $169.14 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $165.79 million.

Here are the key takeaways from American Public Education’s conference call:

• APEI exceeded third-quarter guidance on revenue, net income, Adjusted EBITDA and diluted EPS, and raised its full-year outlook across those measures. Full-year revenue guidance is now $695 million–$701 million, with diluted EPS guidance of $2.59–$2.84.
• Core demand remained solid: Military+ net course registrations rose 3.8%, while Health+ revenue increased 9%, led by campus nursing and online healthcare. However, weakness in non-healthcare online programs is weighing on Health+’s overall enrollment growth.
• Third-quarter Adjusted EBITDA fell to $17.5 million from $20.7 million a year earlier, and margin declined to 10.4% from 12.7%. Higher marketing costs and bad-debt expense related to delayed Title IV processing contributed; management said the delays were temporary, and about $6 million of Military+ revenue shifted into Q4.
• APEI repurchased about $9 million of shares in the quarter and reported $128.7 million of cash and short-term investments in excess of debt. Management reiterated its long-term growth plan, including targeted recurring cost synergies from the institutional combination and a Health+ Student Lifecycle Platform launch in early 2027.

American Public Education Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:APEI traded up $1.81 on Monday, reaching $39.09. 344,179 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 289,333. American Public Education has a twelve month low of $31.13 and a twelve month high of $61.59. The company has a fifty day moving average of $44.80 and a 200-day moving average of $49.57. The company has a market capitalization of $715.43 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.09, a PEG ratio of 0.95 and a beta of 1.49. The company has a current ratio of 3.25, a quick ratio of 3.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have commented on APEI. Wall Street Zen cut shares of American Public Education from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, August 15th. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of American Public Education from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 15th. DA Davidson raised shares of American Public Education to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, October 5th. B. Riley Financial cut their target price on shares of American Public Education from $70.00 to $65.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, October 28th. Finally, Zacks Research cut American Public Education from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 11th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have issued a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, American Public Education has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $59.00.

Insider Buying and Selling at American Public Education

In other news, insider James Kenigsberg sold 1,256 shares of American Public Education stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $47.69, for a total value of $59,898.64. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 43,473 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,073,227.37. The trade was a 2.81% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders own 10.60% of the company’s stock.

American Public Education Company Profile

American Public Education, Inc (NASDAQ: APEI) is an education services company that provides postsecondary instruction and career-focused training through a group of institutions. Its portfolio includes American Public University System, Rasmussen University and Hondros College of Nursing.

American Public University System offers undergraduate and graduate programs primarily through online and distance-learning formats. Its institutions serve military personnel, veterans, working adults and other students, with academic offerings spanning areas such as business, public service, health care, technology, security and liberal arts.

Rasmussen University provides undergraduate and graduate education through online and campus-based programs, with a focus on health sciences, nursing, business, technology and other career-oriented fields.