Research Analysts Offer Predictions for APEI FY2026 Earnings

Key Points

• Zacks Research lowered American Public Education’s FY2026 EPS forecast to $2.61 from $2.63 and maintained a “Hold” rating. It projects EPS of $2.91 for FY2027 and $3.23 for FY2028.
• APEI’s latest quarterly results exceeded expectations, with EPS of $0.52 versus the $0.36 consensus and revenue of $171.73 million versus estimates of $170.88 million. Management’s FY2026 EPS guidance is $2.48–$2.79.
• Analyst sentiment remains favorable overall, with six Buy ratings and two Holds producing a “Moderate Buy” consensus and an average price target of $59.38, compared with the stock’s $45.65 opening price.

American Public Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:APEI - Free Report) - Investment analysts at Zacks Research decreased their FY2026 earnings per share estimates for American Public Education in a research report issued on Monday, August 31st. Zacks Research analyst Team now expects that the company will post earnings per share of $2.61 for the year, down from their prior estimate of $2.63. Zacks Research currently has a "Hold" rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for American Public Education's current full-year earnings is $2.63 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for American Public Education's Q4 2027 earnings at $1.05 EPS, FY2027 earnings at $2.91 EPS and FY2028 earnings at $3.23 EPS.

American Public Education (NASDAQ:APEI - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results 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 analyst estimates 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.

Other research analysts have also recently issued reports about the stock. B. Riley Financial increased their price objective on shares of American Public Education from $67.00 to $68.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 12th. DA Davidson restated a "buy" rating and issued a $64.00 target price on shares of American Public Education in a research report on Monday, June 1st. Wall Street Zen cut American Public Education from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, August 15th. Weiss Ratings downgraded American Public Education from a "buy (b)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. Finally, Lake Street Capital upped their price objective on American Public Education from $62.00 to $64.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, August 11th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $59.38.

American Public Education Stock Down 0.8%

APEI stock opened at $45.65 on Tuesday. The firm's 50-day moving average is $50.57 and its two-hundred day moving average is $52.00. The company has a market capitalization of $835.39 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.79, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.17 and a beta of 1.38. American Public Education has a 52 week low of $29.05 and a 52 week 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.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of APEI. Osaic Holdings Inc. boosted its stake in shares of American Public Education by 5,909.5% during the 2nd quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. now owns 1,262 shares of the company's stock worth $38,000 after acquiring an additional 1,241 shares in the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets raised its position in shares of American Public Education by 84.1% during the second 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. Legal & General Group Plc raised its position in shares of American Public Education by 40.5% during the second 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. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC lifted its holdings in shares of American Public Education by 96.5% during the second quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 2,643 shares of the company's stock valued at $81,000 after purchasing an additional 1,298 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Meeder Asset Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of American Public Education by 259.6% during the fourth quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 5,276 shares of the company's stock valued at $199,000 after purchasing an additional 3,809 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 79.62% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other American Public Education news, SVP Thomas Beckett sold 2,000 shares of American Public Education stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $54.00, for a total value of $108,000.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 52,172 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,817,288. The trade was a 3.69% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders own 10.60% of the company's stock.

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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