American Public Education (NASDAQ:APEI) SVP Thomas Beckett Sells 2,000 Shares of Stock

Key Points

• SVP Thomas Beckett sold 2,000 shares at an average price of $57.70 for $115,400 on March 16, and now directly owns 62,172 shares (a 3.12% reduction); the sale was disclosed in an SEC Form 4 filing.
• Strong quarterly results and guidance: APEI reported Q4 EPS of $0.67 versus $0.39 expected and revenue of $158.3M vs. $151.6M, and set Q1 2026 guidance of $0.580–0.640 EPS.
• Analyst optimism and valuation: Multiple price-target increases and upgrades have left APEI with a "Moderate Buy" consensus and an average target of $55.50, while the stock trades near its 52-week high (recently $55.98) with a market cap of about $1.03B and a P/E around 41.

American Public Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:APEI - Get Free Report) SVP Thomas Beckett sold 2,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $57.70, for a total transaction of $115,400.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 62,172 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,587,324.40. This represents a 3.12% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink.

American Public Education Stock Performance

APEI traded up $0.64 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $55.98. The company's stock had a trading volume of 635,632 shares, compared to its average volume of 317,375. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $43.75 and its 200-day simple moving average is $38.48. The firm has a market cap of $1.03 billion, a PE ratio of 41.16, a P/E/G ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 1.70. American Public Education, Inc. has a one year low of $20.75 and a one year high of $58.69. The company has a quick ratio of 3.46, a current ratio of 3.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32.

American Public Education (NASDAQ:APEI - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, March 12th. The company reported $0.67 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.39 by $0.28. The firm had revenue of $158.33 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $151.61 million. American Public Education had a net margin of 4.86% and a return on equity of 11.30%. American Public Education has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 0.580-0.640 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that American Public Education, Inc. will post 0.47 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

APEI has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Barrington Research upped their price target on American Public Education from $51.00 to $56.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "hold (c+)" rating on shares of American Public Education in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Zacks Research raised shares of American Public Education from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Monday, January 12th. Griffin Securities set a $53.00 target price on shares of American Public Education in a research note on Tuesday, January 27th. Finally, Truist Financial lifted their price target on shares of American Public Education from $38.00 to $55.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a report on Friday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have assigned a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $55.50.

Key American Public Education News

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

• Positive Sentiment: DA Davidson raised its price target on APEI from $48 to $58 and maintained a "buy" rating — a meaningful institutional upgrade that supports further upside. Benzinga
• Positive Sentiment: Multiple outlets reported recent price-target increases (to $56 and $57), reinforcing analyst optimism and likely contributing to buying pressure. Price Target $56 Price Target $57
• Positive Sentiment: Coverage from Zacks highlights upward earnings estimate revisions and argues APEI may be positioned for additional gains — analyst revisions often lead to multiple expansion and buying interest. Zacks
• Positive Sentiment: News coverage praising APEI's “stellar” Q4 performance and diversified portfolio growth reinforces the narrative that the company is delivering on revenue and margin improvements after its recent earnings beat and raised Q1 guidance. TheMarketIsOpen
• Neutral Sentiment: Short-interest reports for March show anomalous values (short interest reported as 0 shares and NaN changes). The data appears inconsistent and does not signal elevated short pressure at this time; treat these figures with caution. (Data entry timestamps: 3/16–3/17)
• Neutral Sentiment: Misc. analyst note from Northland/AMBN coverage on Q1 estimates was published (informational); it provides context for near-term guidance expectations but no clear directional surprise. AmericanBankingNews

Hedge Funds Weigh In On American Public Education

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Osaic Holdings Inc. grew its stake in American Public Education by 5,909.5% during the second quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. now owns 1,262 shares of the company's stock valued at $38,000 after acquiring an additional 1,241 shares in the last quarter. Valley National Advisers Inc. purchased a new stake in American Public Education in the 4th quarter worth $39,000. State of Alaska Department of Revenue purchased a new stake in American Public Education in the 3rd quarter worth $40,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets boosted its holdings in shares of American Public Education by 84.1% during the 2nd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 1,616 shares of the company's stock valued at $49,000 after purchasing an additional 738 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Legal & General Group Plc boosted its holdings in shares of American Public Education by 40.5% during the 2nd quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 1,914 shares of the company's stock valued at $58,000 after purchasing an additional 552 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.62% of the company's stock.

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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