American Public Education (APEI) Stock Price, News & Analysis

Company Overview

American Public Education, Inc., through its wholly owned subsidiary American Public University System (APUS), offers online higher education programs primarily serving military personnel, public service professionals and civilian students. The company provides a broad portfolio of undergraduate and graduate degree programs, including business administration, intelligence and security studies, health sciences, education, social sciences and liberal arts. Its web-based learning platform delivers asynchronous instruction, enabling students to engage with course materials and faculty on a flexible schedule.

In 2020, APEI expanded its footprint in nursing education by acquiring Hondros College of Nursing, adding licensed practical nurse (LPN) and associate degree in nursing (ADN) programs. These programs combine online coursework with hands-on clinical training at campus locations in Ohio and South Carolina, allowing the company to serve both fully online and hybrid learners. This strategic acquisition diversified APEI’s offerings and strengthened its presence in the vocational and allied health education market.

Founded in 1991 and headquartered in Bowie, Maryland, American Public Education began as an online extension of a community college before becoming a publicly traded company in 2007 under the NASDAQ ticker APEI. The firm’s growth has been driven by its specialization in nontraditional student populations, robust student support services and ongoing investments in instructional technology. APEI continues to pursue targeted program expansions and acquisitions to address evolving workforce needs across the United States.

Key Stats

• Today's Range: $29.23 to $30.89
• 50-Day Range: $26.04 to $31.72
• 52-Week Range: $11.80 to $32.24
• Volume: 400,274 shs
• Average Volume: 181,821 shs
• Market Capitalization: $529.47 million
• P/E Ratio: 28.77
• Dividend Yield: N/A
• Price Target: $32.20
• Consensus Rating: Buy

American Public Education Stock Analysis - MarketRank™

American Public Education scored higher than 84% of companies evaluated by MarketBeat, and ranked 70th out of 291 stocks in the consumer discretionary sector. Scores are calculated by averaging available category scores, with extra weight given to analysis and valuation.

Analyst's Opinion

• Score: 2.5 / 5
• Analyst Rating: Buy

Consensus Rating

American Public Education has received a consensus rating of Buy. The company's average rating score is 3.00, and is based on 5 buy ratings, 1 hold rating, and no sell ratings.

Amount of Analyst Coverage

American Public Education has been the subject of 6 research reports in the past 90 days, demonstrating strong analyst interest in this stock.

Earnings and Valuation

• Score: 1.9 / 5
• Proj. Earnings Growth: 187.23%

Earnings Growth

Earnings for American Public Education are expected to grow by 187.23% in the coming year, from $0.47 to $1.35 per share.

Price to Earnings Ratio vs. the Market

The P/E ratio of American Public Education is 28.77, which means that it is trading at a more expensive P/E ratio than the market average P/E ratio of about 26.44.

Price to Earnings Ratio vs. Sector

The P/E ratio of American Public Education is 28.77, which means that it is trading at a more expensive P/E ratio than the Consumer Discretionary sector average P/E ratio of about 21.23.

Price to Earnings Growth Ratio

American Public Education has a PEG Ratio of 1.44. PEG Ratios above 1 indicate that a company could be overvalued.

Price to Book Value per Share Ratio

American Public Education has a P/B Ratio of 1.97. P/B Ratios below 3 indicates that a company is reasonably valued with respect to its assets and liabilities.

Short Interest

• Score: 1.0 / 5
• Short Interest Level: Bearish

Percentage of Shares Shorted

6.31% of the float of American Public Education has been sold short.

Short Interest Ratio / Days to Cover

American Public Education has a short interest ratio ("days to cover") of 4.1.

Change versus previous month

Short interest in American Public Education has recently increased by 38.74%, indicating that investor sentiment is decreasing significantly.

Dividend

• Score: 0.0 / 5
• Dividend Strength: N/A

Dividend Yield

American Public Education does not currently pay a dividend.

Dividend Growth

American Public Education does not have a long track record of dividend growth.

Sustainability and ESG

• Score: 4.6 / 5
• Environmental Score: -1.01

Percentage of Shares Shorted

6.31% of the float of American Public Education has been sold short.

Short Interest Ratio / Days to Cover

American Public Education has a short interest ratio ("days to cover") of 4.1.

Change versus previous month

Short interest in American Public Education has recently increased by 38.74%, indicating that investor sentiment is decreasing significantly.

News and Social Media

• Score: 2.7 / 5
• News Sentiment: 0.84

News Sentiment

American Public Education has a news sentiment score of 0.84. This score is calculated as an average of sentiment of articles about the company over the last seven days and ranges from 2 (good news) to -2 (bad news). This is a higher news sentiment than the 0.68 average news sentiment score of Consumer Discretionary companies.

News Coverage This Week

MarketBeat has tracked 5 news articles for American Public Education this week, compared to 5 articles on an average week.

Search Interest

1 people have searched for APEI on MarketBeat in the last 30 days.

Company Ownership

• Score: 3.3 / 5
• Insider Trading: Selling Shares

Insider Buying vs. Insider Selling

In the past three months, American Public Education insiders have sold more of their company's stock than they have bought. Specifically, they have bought $0.00 in company stock and sold $19,211,182.00 in company stock.

Percentage Held by Insiders

17.54% of the stock of American Public Education is held by insiders. A high percentage of insider ownership can be a sign of company health.

Percentage Held by Institutions

79.62% of the stock of American Public Education is held by institutions. High institutional ownership can be a signal of strong market trust in this company.

APEI Stock Analysis - Frequently Asked Questions

How have APEI shares performed this year?

American Public Education's stock was trading at $21.57 on January 1st, 2025. Since then, APEI stock has increased by 36.1% and is now trading at $29.35.

How were American Public Education's earnings last quarter?

American Public Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:APEI) issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, May, 12th. The company reported $0.41 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.15 by $0.26. The company earned $164.55 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $161.92 million. American Public Education had a trailing twelve-month return on equity of 9.96% and a net margin of 3.86%.
Read the conference call transcript.

Who are American Public Education's major shareholders?

American Public Education's top institutional shareholders include SummerHaven Investment Management LLC (0.25%), Assenagon Asset Management S.A. (0.15%), Sheets Smith Wealth Management (0.10%) and Channel Wealth LLC (0.10%). Insiders that own company stock include Michael David Braner, 325 Capital Llc, Nuno S Fernandes, Thomas Beckett, Craig S Macgibbon, Granetta B Blevins, Barbara Kurshan, James Kenigsberg, Daniel S Pianko and Harry T Wilkins.
View institutional ownership trends.

How do I buy shares of American Public Education?

Shares of APEI stock can be purchased through any online brokerage account. Popular online brokerages with access to the U.S. stock market include Charles Schwab, E*TRADE, Fidelity, and Vanguard Brokerage Services.

What other stocks do shareholders of American Public Education own?

Based on aggregate information from My MarketBeat watchlists, some other companies that American Public Education investors own include Humana (HUM), American Water Works (AWK), Voyager Therapeutics (VYGR), Waste Connections (WCN), The RMR Group (RMR), DiamondRock Hospitality (DRH) and Southern First Bancshares (SFST).

Company Calendar

• Last Earnings: 5/12/2025
• Today: 7/23/2025
• Next Earnings (Estimated): 8/05/2025
• Fiscal Year End: 12/31/2025

Industry, Sector and Symbol

• Stock Exchange: NASDAQ
• Sector: Consumer Discretionary
• Industry: SCHOOLS
• Sub-Industry: Education Services
• Current Symbol: NASDAQ:APEI
• CIK: 1201792
• Web: www.apei.com
• Phone: (304) 724-3700
• Fax: 877-468-6268
• Employees: 6,117
• Year Founded: N/A

Price Target and Rating

• Average Price Target for American Public Education: $32.20
• High Price Target: $36.00
• Low Price Target: $28.00
• Potential Upside/Downside: +9.7%
• Consensus Rating: Buy
• Rating Score (0-4): 3.00
• Research Coverage: 7 Analysts

Profitability

• EPS (Trailing Twelve Months): $1.02
• Trailing P/E Ratio: 28.77
• Forward P/E Ratio: 62.45
• P/E Growth: 1.44
• Net Income: $16.11 million
• Net Margins: 3.86%
• Pretax Margin: 5.87%
• Return on Equity: 9.96%
• Return on Assets: 4.52%

Debt

• Debt-to-Equity Ratio: 0.35
• Current Ratio: 3.27
• Quick Ratio: 3.27

Sales & Book Value

• Annual Sales: $634.68 million
• Price / Sales: 0.83
• Cash Flow: $1.98 per share
• Price / Cash Flow: 14.79
• Book Value: $14.92 per share
• Price / Book: 1.97

Miscellaneous

• Outstanding Shares: 18,040,000
• Free Float: 14,876,000
• Market Cap: $529.47 million
• Optionable: Optionable
• Beta: 1.57