American Public Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:APEI) Stock Has Average Target Price of $59.38

Key Points

• Analysts remain moderately bullish: American Public Education has a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating, with five buys and two holds. The average 12-month price target is $59.38 versus a recent price of $43.36.
• Institutional ownership is significant: Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.62% of APEI, with several firms increasing or initiating positions during the second quarter.
• Quarterly results exceeded expectations: The company reported adjusted EPS of $0.52, beating estimates of $0.36, while revenue reached $171.73 million compared with the $170.88 million consensus estimate.

Shares of American Public Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:APEI - Get Free Report) have received a consensus recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the seven research firms that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and five have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month target price among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $59.38.

Several analysts have issued reports on APEI shares. Lake Street Capital boosted their price target on American Public Education from $62.00 to $64.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, August 11th. Zacks Research downgraded American Public Education from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 11th. Weiss Ratings cut American Public Education from a "buy (b)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded American Public Education from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, August 15th.

Institutional Trading of American Public Education

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Tidal Investments LLC bought a new stake in shares of American Public Education during the 2nd quarter valued at $399,000. Engineers Gate Manager LP boosted its holdings in American Public Education by 26.5% in the 2nd quarter. Engineers Gate Manager LP now owns 34,006 shares of the company's stock worth $1,826,000 after buying an additional 7,132 shares during the period. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC purchased a new stake in American Public Education in the 2nd quarter worth $47,000. IFP Advisors Inc increased its stake in American Public Education by 111.8% in the 2nd quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 2,360 shares of the company's stock worth $127,000 after buying an additional 1,246 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Squarepoint Ops LLC raised its holdings in American Public Education by 329.7% during the second quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC now owns 48,287 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,593,000 after acquiring an additional 37,049 shares during the period. 79.62% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

American Public Education Stock Up 2.8%

APEI opened at $43.36 on Friday. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $45.89 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $51.70. The company has a market capitalization of $793.49 million, a PE ratio of 17.84, a PEG ratio of 1.07 and a beta of 1.41. American Public Education has a 1-year low of $30.20 and a 1-year high of $61.59. The company has a current ratio of 3.25, a quick ratio of 3.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26.

American Public Education (NASDAQ:APEI - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, August 10th. The company reported $0.52 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.36 by $0.16. The firm had revenue of $171.73 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $170.88 million. American Public Education had a net margin of 6.84% and a return on equity of 15.30%. 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. As a group, equities analysts forecast that American Public Education will post 2.63 EPS for the current year.

About American Public Education

American Public Education, Inc NASDAQ: APEI is an education-services company that provides postsecondary education and career-focused learning through its operating institutions. Its primary business is American Public University System (APUS), which includes American Public University and American Military University. APUS offers primarily online undergraduate and graduate programs designed for adult learners, military personnel, veterans, public-service professionals and other students seeking flexible higher education.

Through APUS, the company provides programs in areas such as business, cybersecurity, information technology, intelligence studies, public administration, health, nursing, education and the liberal arts.

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