American Public Education (NASDAQ:APEI) Issues Q2 2026 Earnings Guidance

Key Points

• American Public Education raised its Q2 2026 outlook, guiding for EPS of $0.34 to $0.39 versus Wall Street’s $0.47 estimate, while revenue guidance of $170 million to $172 million was slightly above the $167.8 million consensus.
• The company most recently reported better-than-expected Q1 results, with earnings of $0.94 per share versus the $0.61 estimate and revenue of $174.74 million versus $173.73 million expected.
• Analyst sentiment remains constructive, with a Moderate Buy consensus and an average price target of $55.50, even as the stock trades near its recent highs around $56.37.

American Public Education (NASDAQ:APEI - Get Free Report) updated its second quarter 2026 earnings guidance on Monday. The company provided EPS guidance of 0.340-0.390 for the period, compared to the consensus EPS estimate of 0.470. The company issued revenue guidance of $170.0 million-$172.0 million, compared to the consensus revenue estimate of $167.8 million. American Public Education also updated its FY 2026 guidance to EPS.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently commented on APEI. Barrington Research reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $56.00 target price on shares of American Public Education in a report on Monday, May 4th. Northland Securities set a $51.00 target price on shares of American Public Education in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. DA Davidson raised their price target on American Public Education from $48.00 to $58.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, March 16th. Truist Financial boosted their price target on American Public Education from $38.00 to $55.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, March 13th. Finally, B. Riley Financial reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of American Public Education in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $55.50.

American Public Education Stock Performance

APEI traded up $0.07 during trading on Monday, hitting $56.37. The stock had a trading volume of 420,230 shares, compared to its average volume of 308,737. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.45, a PEG ratio of 1.58 and a beta of 1.46. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 3.46 and a current ratio of 3.46. American Public Education has a twelve month low of $25.31 and a twelve month high of $61.59. The company's 50-day moving average price is $54.54 and its 200 day moving average price is $43.92.

American Public Education (NASDAQ:APEI - Get Free Report) last issued 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 net margin of 4.86% and a return on equity of 11.30%. The business had revenue of $174.74 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $173.73 million. American Public Education has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 0.340-0.390 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that American Public Education will post 2.38 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at American Public Education

In related news, insider Nuno S. Fernandes sold 1,100 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $54.08, for a total transaction of $59,488.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 83,075 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,492,696. This represents a 1.31% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, SVP Tanya Joy Axenson sold 20,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on 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 transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 49,917 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,779,378.56. This trade represents a 28.61% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 377,071 shares of company stock valued at $20,753,569. 10.60% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On American Public Education

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Wells Fargo & Company MN lifted its stake in American Public Education by 75.9% in the 4th quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 19,058 shares of the company's stock valued at $720,000 after buying an additional 8,225 shares in the last quarter. Jump Financial LLC purchased a new stake in shares of American Public Education in the second quarter valued at $616,000. HRT Financial LP purchased a new stake in shares of American Public Education in the fourth quarter valued at $607,000. EntryPoint Capital LLC boosted its stake in shares of American Public Education by 85.1% during the fourth quarter. EntryPoint Capital LLC now owns 13,228 shares of the company's stock valued at $500,000 after acquiring an additional 6,083 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Engineers Gate Manager LP increased its position in American Public Education by 99.9% during the 4th quarter. Engineers Gate Manager LP now owns 12,270 shares of the company's stock worth $464,000 after purchasing an additional 6,132 shares in the last quarter. 79.62% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.

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