American Public Education (NASDAQ:APEI) Shares Gap Up - Here's What Happened

Key Points

• American Public Education shares opened higher, rising from a prior close of $44.41 to $45.93 and last trading near $46.13.
• Analyst sentiment remains positive overall, with an average “Moderate Buy” rating and a consensus price target of $59.38, despite some recent downgrades.
• The company reported quarterly EPS of $0.52, beating expectations of $0.36, while revenue of $171.73 million also exceeded estimates.

American Public Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:APEI - Get Free Report)'s stock price gapped up prior to trading on Wednesday. The stock had previously closed at $44.41, but opened at $45.93. American Public Education shares last traded at $46.1290, with a volume of 4,189 shares changing hands.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Zacks Research cut American Public Education from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 11th. Lake Street Capital raised their price objective on American Public Education from $62.00 to $64.00 and gave the company a "buy" 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 report on Wednesday, July 29th. DA Davidson raised American Public Education to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Monday. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered American Public Education from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, August 15th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have assigned a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company. 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 Price Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $836.68 million, a P/E ratio of 18.81, a P/E/G ratio of 1.13 and a beta of 1.41. The firm's fifty day moving average is $45.63 and its 200 day moving average is $51.48. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26, a quick ratio of 3.25 and a current ratio of 3.25.

American Public Education (NASDAQ:APEI - Get Free Report) last announced 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. American Public Education had a net margin of 6.84% and a return on equity of 15.30%. The business had revenue of $171.73 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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. As a group, analysts predict that American Public Education, Inc. will post 2.63 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On American Public Education

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Tidal Investments LLC purchased a new stake in shares of American Public Education during the second quarter valued at $399,000. Engineers Gate Manager LP increased its stake 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 bought a new stake in American Public Education during the 2nd quarter valued at about $47,000. IFP Advisors Inc lifted its holdings in American Public Education by 111.8% during the 2nd quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 2,360 shares of the company's stock valued at $127,000 after buying an additional 1,246 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Squarepoint Ops LLC lifted its holdings in American Public Education by 329.7% during the 2nd quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC now owns 48,287 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,593,000 after buying an additional 37,049 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.62% of the company's stock.

American Public Education Company Profile

American Public Education, Inc NASDAQ: APEI is a provider of postsecondary education and career-focused learning programs. Through its institutions, the company offers undergraduate and graduate degrees, certificates, professional development, and vocational training in areas including business, public service, healthcare, nursing, technology, and related fields.

APEI's principal education platforms include American Public University System, which operates American Public University and American Military University; Rasmussen University; and Hondros College of Nursing.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.