American Public Education (NASDAQ:APEI) Stock Price Expected to Rise, B. Riley Analyst Says

Key Points

• B. Riley increased their target price for American Public Education (APEI) from $36.00 to $37.00, suggesting a potential upside of 30.01% from the current stock price.
• American Public Education's shares experienced a 9.7% decline, trading at $28.46 amid fluctuations in the market.
• The company's quarterly earnings revealed a net margin of 3.86% and a return on equity of 9.96%, outperforming analyst expectations.

American Public Education (NASDAQ:APEI - Free Report) had its price objective raised by B. Riley from $36.00 to $37.00 in a research note published on Thursday morning,Benzinga reports. B. Riley currently has a buy rating on the stock. B. Riley also issued estimates for American Public Education's Q4 2025 earnings at $0.82 EPS, Q1 2026 earnings at $0.43 EPS, Q2 2026 earnings at $0.35 EPS, Q3 2026 earnings at $0.39 EPS, Q4 2026 earnings at $0.84 EPS and FY2026 earnings at $2.01 EPS.

A number of other research analysts also recently commented on the company. Barrington Research increased their target price on American Public Education from $24.00 to $32.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 13th. Lake Street Capital increased their target price on American Public Education from $30.00 to $35.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 13th. Northland Securities initiated coverage on American Public Education in a research report on Wednesday, June 18th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $36.00 target price for the company. Northland Capmk upgraded American Public Education to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 18th. Finally, Truist Financial increased their target price on American Public Education from $24.00 to $30.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 14th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $35.17.

American Public Education Price Performance

APEI traded down $1.80 during trading on Thursday, reaching $28.03. 233,709 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 195,966. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a quick ratio of 2.83 and a current ratio of 2.83. American Public Education has a 12-month low of $13.12 and a 12-month high of $32.24. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $29.48 and a 200 day simple moving average of $25.67. The company has a market cap of $506.50 million, a P/E ratio of 26.44, a PEG ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 1.60.

American Public Education (NASDAQ:APEI - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 6th. The company reported ($0.02) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.07) by $0.05. American Public Education had a net margin of 4.44% and a return on equity of 10.82%. The business had revenue of $162.77 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $160.88 million. On average, equities analysts forecast that American Public Education will post 0.47 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director 325 Capital Llc sold 214,396 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, June 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $28.04, for a total value of $6,011,663.84. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 1,181,005 shares in the company, valued at $33,115,380.20. This trade represents a 15.36% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Nuno S. Fernandes sold 7,272 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $27.11, for a total value of $197,143.92. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 85,459 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,316,793.49. This represents a 7.84% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 669,736 shares of company stock valued at $19,211,182. 17.54% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of American Public Education

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. USA Financial Formulas bought a new stake in shares of American Public Education during the second quarter worth $58,000. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its position in shares of American Public Education by 19,594.1% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 3,348 shares of the company's stock worth $75,000 after purchasing an additional 3,331 shares during the last quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of American Public Education during the first quarter worth $89,000. Police & Firemen s Retirement System of New Jersey lifted its position in shares of American Public Education by 14.8% during the second quarter. Police & Firemen s Retirement System of New Jersey now owns 3,625 shares of the company's stock worth $110,000 after purchasing an additional 468 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio bought a new stake in shares of American Public Education during the fourth quarter worth $124,000. 79.62% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About American Public Education

American Public Education, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, provides online and campus-based postsecondary education and career learning in the United States. It operates through three segments: American Public University System, Rasmussen University, and Hondros College of Nursing. The company offers 184 degree programs and 134 certificate programs in various fields of study, including nursing, national security, military studies, intelligence, homeland security, business, health science, information technology, justice studies, education, and liberal arts; and career learning opportunities in leadership, finance, human resources, and other fields of study critical to the federal government workforce.