Zacks Research Analysts Increase Earnings Estimates for APEI

American Public Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:APEI) – Research analysts at Zacks Research increased their Q3 2026 earnings per share estimates for American Public Education in a report issued on Monday, May 25th. Zacks Research analyst Team now anticipates that the company will post earnings per share of $0.46 for the quarter, up from their previous forecast of $0.45. Zacks Research has a “Hold” rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for American Public Education’s current full-year earnings is $2.54 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for American Public Education’s FY2026 earnings at $2.63 EPS, Q1 2027 earnings at $0.66 EPS, Q2 2027 earnings at $0.61 EPS, Q3 2027 earnings at $0.67 EPS, FY2027 earnings at $2.85 EPS, Q1 2028 earnings at $0.75 EPS and FY2028 earnings at $3.17 EPS.

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

APEI has been the topic of several other research reports. Weiss Ratings upgraded American Public Education from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 12th. Griffin Securities set a $53.00 price objective on American Public Education in a report on Tuesday, January 27th. William Blair set a $58.00 price objective on American Public Education in a report on Friday, March 13th. Northland Securities set a $51.00 price objective on American Public Education in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. Finally, DA Davidson boosted their price objective on American Public Education from $58.00 to $64.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 13th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $59.13.

American Public Education Trading Up 2.3%

Shares of APEI opened at $52.68 on Wednesday. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $56.27 and its 200 day moving average price is $45.65. The company has a current ratio of 2.98, a quick ratio of 2.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27. The stock has a market capitalization of $966.15 million, a P/E ratio of 27.87, a P/E/G ratio of 1.35 and a beta of 1.46. American Public Education has a 1-year low of $25.80 and a 1-year high of $61.59.

Insider Activity

In other American Public Education news, insider 325 Capital Llc sold 65,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 20th. The stock was 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 directly owned 836,234 shares in the company, valued at approximately $44,972,664.52. This trade represents a 7.21% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through 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 owned 62,172 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,587,324.40. The trade was a 3.12% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last three months, insiders sold 377,071 shares of company stock worth $20,753,569. Corporate insiders own 10.60% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On American Public Education

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of APEI. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. boosted its position in American Public Education by 4.3% during the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 9,386 shares of the company’s stock worth $209,000 after acquiring an additional 390 shares during the period. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. boosted its position in American Public Education by 4.1% during the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 538,440 shares of the company’s stock worth $12,018,000 after acquiring an additional 21,079 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC boosted its position in American Public Education by 7.4% during the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 97,294 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,172,000 after acquiring an additional 6,671 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its position in American Public Education by 9.3% during the 2nd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 8,495 shares of the company’s stock worth $259,000 after acquiring an additional 720 shares during the period. Finally, Legal & General Group Plc boosted its position in American Public Education by 40.5% during the 2nd quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 1,914 shares of the company’s stock worth $58,000 after acquiring an additional 552 shares during the period. 79.62% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

American Public Education News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research raised earnings forecasts for American Public Education across several upcoming periods, including FY2026, FY2027, Q1 2027, Q2 2027, Q3 2027, and Q1 2028, signaling improved profit expectations. APEI analyst estimate updates
• Positive Sentiment: Shareholders backed the company’s directors and governance at the May 22 annual meeting, which may reduce near-term governance concerns. American Public Education Shareholders Back Directors and Governance
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks Research also described APEI as a strong value stock, which may support a favorable valuation view but does not represent a direct operational catalyst. Here’s Why American Public Education (APEI) is a Strong Value Stock
• Negative Sentiment: One Zacks update trimmed FY2028 earnings slightly, and the overall analyst stance remains only Hold, suggesting upside may still be limited unless execution improves further. APEI analyst estimate updates

About American Public Education

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.