American Public Education (NASDAQ:APEI) Upgraded by Wall Street Zen to Strong-Buy Rating

Key Points

• American Public Education was upgraded by Wall Street Zen from hold to strong-buy, while the broader analyst view remains Moderate Buy with an average price target of $59.13.
• The company recently posted better-than-expected earnings, reporting $0.94 EPS versus the $0.61 estimate and revenue of $174.74 million, slightly above forecasts.
• Shares were down 1.9% on the day, even as insider selling and institutional ownership trends remained notable; insiders sold 377,071 shares last quarter, while hedge funds own about 79.62% of the stock.

American Public Education (NASDAQ:APEI - Get Free Report) was upgraded by investment analysts at Wall Street Zen from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note issued to investors on Saturday.

Other analysts have also issued research reports about the company. Zacks Research lowered American Public Education from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday. Lake Street Capital reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set 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. Barrington Research increased their price objective on American Public Education from $56.00 to $62.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, B. Riley Financial raised their price target on American Public Education from $67.00 to $68.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $59.13.

American Public Education Stock Down 1.9%

APEI opened at $53.32 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 3.46, a current ratio of 2.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27. The firm has a market cap of $977.89 million, a P/E ratio of 28.21, a PEG ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 1.46. American Public Education has a 52 week low of $25.80 and a 52 week high of $61.59. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $55.56 and its 200 day simple moving average is $44.62.

American Public Education (NASDAQ:APEI - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, May 11th. The company reported $0.94 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.61 by $0.33. The business had revenue of $174.74 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that American Public Education will post 2.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at American Public Education

In other American Public Education 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 value of $1,113,600.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 49,917 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,779,378.56. This trade represents a 28.61% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible 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 completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 62,172 shares in the company, valued at approximately $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. Insiders sold 377,071 shares of company stock worth $20,753,569 in the last quarter. 10.60% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On American Public Education

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of APEI. Osaic Holdings Inc. raised its holdings in shares of American Public Education by 5,909.5% in 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 during the period. Valley National Advisers Inc. purchased a new position in shares of American Public Education in the 4th quarter worth about $39,000. State of Alaska Department of Revenue purchased a new position in shares of American Public Education in the 3rd quarter worth about $40,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets raised its holdings 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 worth $49,000 after purchasing an additional 738 shares during the period. Finally, Legal & General Group Plc raised its holdings 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 worth $58,000 after purchasing an additional 552 shares during the period. 79.62% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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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