What is Zacks Research's Estimate for APEI Q3 Earnings?

Key Points

• Zacks Research cut its Q3 2026 EPS estimate for American Public Education to $0.26, down from $0.46, while maintaining a “Hold” rating. The company’s Q3 guidance is $0.18–$0.29 per share.
• American Public Education’s latest quarterly results exceeded expectations, with EPS of $0.52 versus the $0.36 consensus and revenue of $171.73 million versus $170.88 million expected.
• Analyst sentiment remains broadly positive: six analysts rate the stock “Buy” and two rate it “Hold,” producing a “Moderate Buy” consensus and an average price target of $59.38.

American Public Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:APEI - Free Report) - Equities researchers at Zacks Research decreased their Q3 2026 earnings per share estimates for American Public Education in a report released on Monday, August 31st. Zacks Research analyst Team now anticipates that the company will earn $0.26 per share for the quarter, down from their prior forecast of $0.46. Zacks Research 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 Q2 2027 earnings at $0.57 EPS and Q3 2027 earnings at $0.60 EPS.

American Public Education (NASDAQ:APEI - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, August 10th. The company reported $0.52 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.36 by $0.16. The business 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.

Several other analysts also recently weighed in on the company. Barrington Research increased their target price on American Public Education from $56.00 to $62.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 13th. DA Davidson reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $64.00 target price on shares of American Public Education in a research note on Monday, June 1st. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of American Public Education from a "buy (b)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. B. Riley Financial upped their price objective on shares of American Public Education from $67.00 to $68.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 12th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded American Public Education from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, August 15th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $59.38.

American Public Education Trading Up 0.4%

Shares of NASDAQ:APEI opened at $45.85 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $839.05 million, a P/E ratio of 18.87, a P/E/G ratio of 1.16 and a beta of 1.39. The stock's 50-day moving average is $50.45 and its 200-day moving average is $52.02. American Public Education has a 52-week low of $29.05 and a 52-week high of $61.59. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26, a quick ratio of 3.25 and a current ratio of 3.25.

Insider Activity

In other news, SVP Thomas Beckett sold 2,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction 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 sale, 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 position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders own 10.60% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of American Public Education

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of APEI. Corient Private Wealth LP acquired a new position in shares of American Public Education in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $310,000. California State Teachers Retirement System grew its holdings in American Public Education by 104,007.2% during the 2nd quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 979,649 shares of the company's stock worth $52,607,000 after acquiring an additional 978,708 shares during the last quarter. Two Sigma Securities LLC acquired a new stake in American Public Education in the 2nd quarter valued at about $264,000. Navellier & Associates Inc. raised its stake in shares of American Public Education by 158.9% in the second quarter. Navellier & Associates Inc. now owns 30,690 shares of the company's stock worth $1,648,000 after acquiring an additional 18,837 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Hsbc Holdings PLC lifted its position in shares of American Public Education by 350.3% during the second quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 80,658 shares of the company's stock worth $4,375,000 after purchasing an additional 62,746 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.62% of the company's stock.

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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