DA Davidson Issues Positive Forecast for American Public Education (NASDAQ:APEI) Stock Price

Key Points

• DA Davidson raised its price target on APEI from $48 to $58 and kept a "buy" rating, joining other firms that lifted targets and leaving a consensus "Moderate Buy" with a $55.50 consensus target.
• American Public Education beat quarterly estimates, reporting $0.67 EPS vs. $0.39 expected and $158.33M revenue vs. $151.61M, and provided Q1 2026 guidance of $0.580–$0.640, underpinning analyst optimism.
• The stock traded around $54.56 mid-day, with a market cap near $1.0B, a P/E of 40.13, a 52‑week range of $20.75–$58.69, and about 79.6% institutional ownership.

American Public Education (NASDAQ:APEI - Get Free Report) had its price objective raised by analysts at DA Davidson from $48.00 to $58.00 in a research report issued on Monday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a "buy" rating on the stock. DA Davidson's price target would suggest a potential upside of 6.31% from the company's previous close.

A number of other research analysts have also recently issued reports on the company. Lake Street Capital raised their price target on shares of American Public Education from $47.00 to $56.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday. Zacks Research raised American Public Education from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Monday, January 12th. William Blair set a $58.00 price target on American Public Education in a research note on Friday. Truist Financial lifted their price objective on American Public Education from $38.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday. Finally, Barrington Research boosted their price objective on American Public Education from $51.00 to $56.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have assigned a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, American Public Education currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $55.50.

American Public Education Price Performance

Shares of American Public Education stock traded down $3.10 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $54.56. 484,660 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 302,773. American Public Education has a fifty-two week low of $20.75 and a fifty-two week high of $58.69. The company has a market cap of $1.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.13, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 1.70. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $43.41 and a 200 day simple moving average of $38.31. The company has a current ratio of 3.46, a quick ratio of 3.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32.

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On American Public Education

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of APEI. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd acquired a new position in shares of American Public Education in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $821,000. 4D Advisors LLC raised its holdings in American Public Education by 111.1% during the 2nd quarter. 4D Advisors LLC now owns 285,000 shares of the company's stock worth $8,681,000 after buying an additional 150,000 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. raised its holdings in American Public Education by 8.7% during the 3rd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 612,087 shares of the company's stock worth $24,159,000 after buying an additional 49,008 shares during the period. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership lifted its stake in American Public Education by 76.1% in the second quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 389,586 shares of the company's stock valued at $11,867,000 after buying an additional 168,362 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Divisadero Street Capital Management LP bought a new position in American Public Education in the third quarter valued at approximately $15,108,000. 79.62% of the stock is currently owned by 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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