William Blair Has Negative Outlook for APEI Q4 Earnings

American Public Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:APEI) – Investment analysts at William Blair dropped their Q4 2024 EPS estimates for shares of American Public Education in a report released on Wednesday, November 13th. William Blair analyst S. Sheldon now forecasts that the company will post earnings per share of $0.53 for the quarter, down from their previous estimate of $0.57. The consensus estimate for American Public Education’s current full-year earnings is $0.47 per share. William Blair also issued estimates for American Public Education’s FY2026 earnings at $1.42 EPS.

Several other equities research analysts have also recently commented on the company. Barrington Research lifted their target price on American Public Education from $18.00 to $24.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Truist Financial lifted their target price on shares of American Public Education from $15.00 to $20.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday. StockNews.com cut American Public Education from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday. Finally, B. Riley upped their target price on shares of American Public Education from $22.00 to $25.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 7th.

American Public Education Price Performance

APEI opened at $18.32 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37, a current ratio of 2.65 and a quick ratio of 2.83. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $15.15 and its 200-day simple moving average is $16.27. American Public Education has a one year low of $5.41 and a one year high of $21.04. The stock has a market capitalization of $324.30 million, a P/E ratio of 32.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.83 and a beta of 1.24.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Michael David Braner acquired 26,539 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 22nd. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $14.71 per share, for a total transaction of $390,388.69. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 1,824,820 shares in the company, valued at approximately $26,843,102.20. The trade was a 1.48 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders have acquired 117,983 shares of company stock worth $1,747,393 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 11.38% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On American Public Education

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. boosted its position in shares of American Public Education by 329.5% during the second quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 425,064 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,473,000 after buying an additional 326,091 shares during the period. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. acquired a new position in American Public Education during the 1st quarter worth approximately $2,159,000. Renaissance Technologies LLC grew its stake in shares of American Public Education by 14.5% during the 2nd quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 1,004,011 shares of the company’s stock worth $17,651,000 after acquiring an additional 127,000 shares in the last quarter. Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC acquired a new stake in shares of American Public Education in the third quarter valued at approximately $1,691,000. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. lifted its position in shares of American Public Education by 43.6% in the second quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 351,644 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,182,000 after purchasing an additional 106,689 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 79.62% of the company’s stock.

American Public Education Company Profile

American Public Education, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, provides online and campus-based postsecondary education and career learning in the United States. It operates through three segments: American Public University System, Rasmussen University, and Hondros College of Nursing. The company offers 184 degree programs and 134 certificate programs in various fields of study, including nursing, national security, military studies, intelligence, homeland security, business, health science, information technology, justice studies, education, and liberal arts; and career learning opportunities in leadership, finance, human resources, and other fields of study critical to the federal government workforce.