American Public Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:APEI) Given Consensus Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by Analysts

Key Points

• Analysts broadly favor American Public Education: Eight firms give the stock a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating, with six buys and two holds. The average one-year price target is $59.38, above the reported market price of $45.36.
• Quarterly results exceeded expectations: The company reported adjusted earnings of $0.52 per share versus the $0.36 consensus estimate, while revenue of $171.73 million slightly topped forecasts. Management issued fiscal 2026 EPS guidance of $2.48–$2.79.
• Institutional ownership remains high: Hedge funds and other institutions own 79.62% of the stock, while insiders own 10.6%; however, senior vice president Thomas Beckett recently sold 2,000 shares under a pre-arranged trading plan.

American Public Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:APEI - Get Free Report) has been assigned a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" from the eight research firms that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price objective among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $59.3750.

A number of research firms have weighed in on APEI. Wall Street Zen downgraded American Public Education from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, August 15th. B. Riley Financial increased their price objective on shares of American Public Education from $67.00 to $68.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 12th. Zacks Research lowered shares of American Public Education from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 11th. Lake Street Capital upped their target price on shares of American Public Education from $62.00 to $64.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, August 11th. Finally, DA Davidson reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $64.00 price target on shares of American Public Education in a research note on Monday, June 1st.

Insider Transactions at American Public Education

In other news, SVP Thomas Beckett sold 2,000 shares of American Public Education stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $54.00, for a total transaction of $108,000.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 52,172 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,817,288. The trade was a 3.69% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Corporate insiders own 10.60% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of American Public Education

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in American Public Education by 1.7% in the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 1,086,727 shares of the company's stock worth $42,893,000 after buying an additional 17,902 shares during the period. California State Teachers Retirement System grew its position in shares of American Public Education by 104,007.2% during the second quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 979,649 shares of the company's stock worth $52,607,000 after purchasing an additional 978,708 shares in the last quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC raised its stake in American Public Education by 3.7% during the 4th quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 962,920 shares of the company's stock valued at $36,398,000 after purchasing an additional 34,700 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its holdings in American Public Education by 1.8% in the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 847,320 shares of the company's stock worth $32,028,000 after purchasing an additional 15,277 shares in the last quarter. Finally, No Street GP LP bought a new position in American Public Education in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $32,365,000. 79.62% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

American Public Education Price Performance

NASDAQ APEI opened at $45.36 on Monday. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $49.97 and a 200 day moving average of $52.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26, a quick ratio of 3.25 and a current ratio of 3.25. The company has a market capitalization of $830.09 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.67, a PEG ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 1.39. American Public Education has a one year low of $30.20 and a one year high of $61.59.

American Public Education (NASDAQ:APEI - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, August 10th. The company reported $0.52 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.36 by $0.16. American Public Education had a net margin of 6.84% and a return on equity of 15.30%. The firm had revenue of $171.73 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $170.88 million. American Public Education has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.480-2.790 EPS and its Q3 2026 guidance at 0.180-0.290 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that American Public Education will post 2.63 EPS for the current year.

About American Public Education

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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