Q3 Earnings Forecast for APEI Issued By Northland Securities

American Public Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:APEI) – Research analysts at Northland Securities lowered their Q3 2026 earnings per share estimates for shares of American Public Education in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday, May 12th. Northland Securities analyst L. Horton now anticipates that the company will earn $0.41 per share for the quarter, down from their previous estimate of $0.47. The consensus estimate for American Public Education’s current full-year earnings is $2.50 per share.

Several other brokerages also recently issued reports on APEI. Truist Financial increased their price objective on American Public Education from $38.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, March 13th. Wall Street Zen downgraded American Public Education from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, March 14th. Lake Street Capital reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $62.00 price objective on shares of American Public Education in a research note on Tuesday. William Blair set a $58.00 price objective on American Public Education in a research note on Friday, March 13th. Finally, Barrington Research increased their price objective on American Public Education from $56.00 to $62.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, American Public Education currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $59.13.

American Public Education Stock Down 0.2%

Shares of American Public Education stock opened at $52.91 on Thursday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $55.25 and a 200 day moving average price of $44.43. The company has a market cap of $970.37 million, a P/E ratio of 27.99, a P/E/G ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 1.46. The company has a current ratio of 2.98, a quick ratio of 3.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27. American Public Education has a 1 year low of $25.80 and a 1 year high of $61.59.

American Public Education (NASDAQ:APEI) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, May 11th. The company reported $0.94 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.61 by $0.33. The firm had revenue of $174.74 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $173.73 million. American Public Education had a return on equity of 14.02% and a net margin of 6.13%.American Public Education has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 0.340-0.390 EPS.

Insider Activity at American Public Education

In other news, SVP Tanya Joy Axenson sold 20,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 49,917 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,779,378.56. This trade represents a 28.61% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, SVP Thomas Beckett sold 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $57.70, for a total value of $115,400.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 62,172 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,587,324.40. This trade represents a 3.12% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last three months, insiders sold 377,071 shares of company stock worth $20,753,569. 10.60% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On American Public Education

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in APEI. Osaic Holdings Inc. raised its stake in shares of American Public Education by 5,909.5% during the 2nd quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. now owns 1,262 shares of the company’s stock worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 1,241 shares in the last quarter. Valley National Advisers Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of American Public Education during the 4th quarter worth about $39,000. State of Alaska Department of Revenue purchased a new stake in shares of American Public Education during the 3rd quarter worth about $40,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets raised 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 acquiring an additional 738 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Legal & General Group Plc raised 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 acquiring an additional 552 shares in the last quarter. 79.62% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

More American Public Education News

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

• Positive Sentiment: APEI reported Q1 earnings of $0.94 per share, well above the $0.61 consensus, and revenue also topped estimates; management raised its 2026 outlook, with Zacks noting stronger Military+ activity and Health+ enrollment helped margins. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: B. Riley Financial raised its price target on APEI to $68 from $67 and reiterated a buy rating, signaling continued confidence in the company’s earnings outlook. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Northland Securities lifted its earnings estimates for APEI across 2026 and 2027, including FY2026 EPS to $2.53 from $2.35, Q2 2026 EPS to $0.37 from $0.35, and FY2027 EPS to $3.05 from $3.04, reflecting improved expectations after the earnings report. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Northland also trimmed its Q4 2026 EPS forecast to $0.81 from $0.90, but that weaker near-term view was offset by higher full-year estimates and a stronger longer-term outlook.

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.