Q3 Earnings Forecast for APEI Issued By Northland Securities

Key Points

• Northland Securities lowered its Q3 2026 EPS estimate for American Public Education (APEI) to $0.41 from $0.47, even after the company’s strong recent earnings report.
• APEI’s latest quarterly results came in ahead of expectations, with EPS of $0.94 versus the $0.61 consensus and revenue of $174.74 million slightly topping estimates.
• Despite some mixed analyst moves, the stock remains supported by a generally positive outlook, with six Buy ratings, two Hold ratings, and a consensus price target of $59.13.

American Public Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:APEI - Free Report) - Northland Securities reduced their Q3 2026 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for American Public Education in a research note issued on Tuesday, May 12th. Northland Securities analyst L. Horton now expects that the company will earn $0.41 per share for the quarter, down from their previous estimate of $0.47. The consensus estimate for American Public Education's current full-year earnings is $2.50 per share.

American Public Education (NASDAQ:APEI - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, May 11th. The company reported $0.94 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.61 by $0.33. American Public Education had a return on equity of 14.02% and a net margin of 6.13%.The company had revenue of $174.74 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $173.73 million. American Public Education has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 0.340-0.390 EPS.

Several other brokerages have also recently weighed in on APEI. Griffin Securities set a $53.00 target price on American Public Education in a research note on Tuesday, January 27th. Wall Street Zen cut American Public Education from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, March 14th. Weiss Ratings raised American Public Education from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research note on Tuesday. Zacks Research cut American Public Education from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, William Blair set a $58.00 target price on American Public Education in a research note on Friday, March 13th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $59.13.

American Public Education Trading Down 0.2%

Shares of APEI stock opened at $52.91 on Thursday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $55.25 and a 200 day simple moving average of $44.43. American Public Education has a fifty-two week low of $25.80 and a fifty-two week high of $61.59. The stock has a market capitalization of $970.37 million, a P/E ratio of 27.99, a P/E/G ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 1.46. The company has a quick ratio of 3.46, a current ratio of 2.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On American Public Education

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of APEI. No Street GP LP acquired a new position in shares of American Public Education in the 3rd quarter valued at $32,365,000. Divisadero Street Capital Management LP acquired a new position in shares of American Public Education in the 3rd quarter valued at $15,108,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. boosted its position in shares of American Public Education by 1,667.5% in the 4th quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 180,835 shares of the company's stock valued at $6,836,000 after purchasing an additional 170,604 shares during the period. Lazard Asset Management LLC boosted its position in shares of American Public Education by 122.9% in the 3rd quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 294,386 shares of the company's stock valued at $11,619,000 after purchasing an additional 162,318 shares during the period. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its position in shares of American Public Education by 1,025.5% in the 4th quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 130,600 shares of the company's stock valued at $4,937,000 after purchasing an additional 118,996 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.62% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CMO Karmela Gaffney sold 2,700 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.87, for a total value of $150,849.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief marketing officer owned 40,527 shares in the company, valued at $2,264,243.49. This trade represents a 6.25% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, SVP Tanya Joy Axenson sold 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.68, for a total value of $1,113,600.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 49,917 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,779,378.56. This trade represents a 28.61% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 377,071 shares of company stock worth $20,753,569 over the last three months. Company insiders own 10.60% of the company's stock.

More American Public Education News

Here are the key news stories impacting American Public Education this week:

• Positive Sentiment: APEI reported Q1 earnings of $0.94 per share, well above the $0.61 consensus, and revenue also topped estimates; management raised its 2026 outlook, with Zacks noting stronger Military+ activity and Health+ enrollment helped margins. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: B. Riley Financial raised its price target on APEI to $68 from $67 and reiterated a buy rating, signaling continued confidence in the company’s earnings outlook. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Northland Securities lifted its earnings estimates for APEI across 2026 and 2027, including FY2026 EPS to $2.53 from $2.35, Q2 2026 EPS to $0.37 from $0.35, and FY2027 EPS to $3.05 from $3.04, reflecting improved expectations after the earnings report. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Northland also trimmed its Q4 2026 EPS forecast to $0.81 from $0.90, but that weaker near-term view was offset by higher full-year estimates and a stronger longer-term outlook.

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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