William Blair Issues Pessimistic Forecast for APEI Earnings

Key Points

• Analysts at William Blair have revised down their Q3 2025 earnings estimate for American Public Education, predicting a loss of ($0.05) per share, a significant drop from the previous forecast of $0.16.
• American Public Education reported earnings of ($0.02) per share for the most recent quarter, outperforming analysts' estimates of ($0.07) by $0.05, with revenues climbing to $162.77 million.
• The stock price of American Public Education saw an increase of 2.8%, valuing the company at approximately $539.03 million, with the current shares trading around $29.83.

American Public Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:APEI - Free Report) - Analysts at William Blair reduced their Q3 2025 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for shares of American Public Education in a research report issued to clients and investors on Thursday, August 7th. William Blair analyst S. Sheldon now anticipates that the company will earn ($0.05) per share for the quarter, down from their prior forecast of $0.16. The consensus estimate for American Public Education's current full-year earnings is $0.47 per share. William Blair also issued estimates for American Public Education's Q4 2025 earnings at $0.88 EPS, FY2025 earnings at $1.21 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $2.21 EPS and FY2027 earnings at $2.52 EPS.

APEI has been the topic of several other reports. Northland Securities started coverage on American Public Education in a report on Wednesday, June 18th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $36.00 target price on the stock. B. Riley increased their target price on American Public Education from $36.00 to $37.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday. Truist Financial increased their target price on American Public Education from $24.00 to $30.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 14th. Griffin Securities set a $37.00 target price on American Public Education in a report on Thursday. Finally, Lake Street Capital raised their price objective on American Public Education from $30.00 to $35.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 13th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $35.17.

American Public Education Stock Performance

NASDAQ APEI traded down $1.80 on Monday, reaching $28.03. The stock had a trading volume of 233,709 shares, compared to its average volume of 297,363. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 2.83 and a quick ratio of 2.83. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $29.46 and a two-hundred day moving average of $25.71. American Public Education has a 1-year low of $13.12 and a 1-year high of $32.24. The company has a market cap of $506.50 million, a P/E ratio of 26.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 1.60.

American Public Education (NASDAQ:APEI - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 6th. The company reported ($0.02) earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.07) by $0.05. American Public Education had a return on equity of 10.82% and a net margin of 4.44%. The business had revenue of $162.77 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $160.88 million.

Insider Activity

In other American Public Education news, Director 325 Capital Llc sold 214,396 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $28.04, for a total value of $6,011,663.84. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 1,181,005 shares in the company, valued at approximately $33,115,380.20. This trade represents a 15.36% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Nuno S. Fernandes sold 7,272 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $27.11, for a total value of $197,143.92. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 85,459 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,316,793.49. This represents a 7.84% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 669,736 shares of company stock valued at $19,211,182 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 17.54% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On American Public Education

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Pacific Ridge Capital Partners LLC raised its position in shares of American Public Education by 39.5% during the first quarter. Pacific Ridge Capital Partners LLC now owns 147,930 shares of the company's stock worth $3,302,000 after acquiring an additional 41,922 shares during the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of American Public Education during the first quarter worth about $213,000. Mackenzie Financial Corp raised its position in shares of American Public Education by 123.2% during the first quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 59,968 shares of the company's stock worth $1,338,000 after acquiring an additional 33,099 shares during the last quarter. Banco Santander S.A. bought a new position in shares of American Public Education during the first quarter worth about $384,000. Finally, Bastion Asset Management Inc. raised its position in shares of American Public Education by 9.6% during the first quarter. Bastion Asset Management Inc. now owns 485,901 shares of the company's stock worth $10,845,000 after acquiring an additional 42,575 shares during the last quarter. 79.62% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

American Public Education Company Profile

American Public Education, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, provides online and campus-based postsecondary education and career learning in the United States. It operates through three segments: American Public University System, Rasmussen University, and Hondros College of Nursing. The company offers 184 degree programs and 134 certificate programs in various fields of study, including nursing, national security, military studies, intelligence, homeland security, business, health science, information technology, justice studies, education, and liberal arts; and career learning opportunities in leadership, finance, human resources, and other fields of study critical to the federal government workforce.