Zacks Research Analysts Raise Earnings Estimates for APEI

Key Points

• Zacks Research raised its Q4 2027 EPS estimate for American Public Education (APEI) to $0.91 from $0.90 and reaffirmed a Strong-Buy rating on the stock.
• The firm also boosted its longer-term earnings outlook, lifting FY2027 EPS estimates to $2.89, above the consensus estimate of $2.59, which suggests stronger profit expectations ahead.
• APEI has generally favorable analyst coverage, with multiple recent buy ratings and an average price target of $59.12, while the stock last traded at $49.23.

American Public Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:APEI - Free Report) - Stock analysts at Zacks Research raised their Q4 2027 EPS estimates for shares of American Public Education in a research report issued on Tuesday, July 14th. Zacks Research analyst Team now expects that the company will post earnings per share of $0.91 for the quarter, up from their previous estimate of $0.90. Zacks Research has a "Strong-Buy" rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for American Public Education's current full-year earnings is $2.59 per share.

APEI has been the subject of a number of other research reports. B. Riley Financial upped their price objective on American Public Education from $67.00 to $68.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 12th. Wall Street Zen upgraded American Public Education from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Sunday. Lake Street Capital reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $62.00 price target on shares of American Public Education in a report on Tuesday, May 12th. DA Davidson restated a "buy" rating and set a $64.00 price target on shares of American Public Education in a research report on Monday, June 1st. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of American Public Education from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "buy (b)" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 26th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $59.12.

American Public Education Stock Performance

Shares of American Public Education stock opened at $49.23 on Thursday. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $53.76 and its 200 day simple moving average is $50.33. The firm has a market capitalization of $903.03 million, a P/E ratio of 26.05, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.49 and a beta of 1.37. American Public Education has a 12 month low of $27.74 and a 12 month high of $61.59. The company has a current ratio of 2.98, a quick ratio of 2.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27.

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other American Public Education news, SVP Thomas Beckett sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $54.00, for a total transaction of $108,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 52,172 shares in the company, valued at $2,817,288. This trade represents a 3.69% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 10.60% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of American Public Education

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Osaic Holdings Inc. boosted its holdings in American Public Education by 5,909.5% in the 2nd quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. now owns 1,262 shares of the company's stock worth $38,000 after buying an additional 1,241 shares during the period. Valley National Advisers Inc. bought a new stake in American Public Education during the 4th quarter valued at $39,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets raised its holdings in American Public Education by 84.1% during the 2nd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 1,616 shares of the company's stock valued at $49,000 after acquiring an additional 738 shares during the period. Legal & General Group Plc lifted 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 acquiring an additional 552 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Tower Research Capital LLC TRC boosted its holdings in shares of American Public Education by 96.5% in the second quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 2,643 shares of the company's stock worth $81,000 after acquiring an additional 1,298 shares during the period. 79.62% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Stories Impacting American Public Education

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

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research upgraded APEI from Hold to Strong-Buy, signaling improved analyst sentiment on the company’s outlook. Tickerreport.com article
• Positive Sentiment: The firm increased its FY2027 EPS estimate to $2.89 from $2.85, above the current consensus estimate of $2.59, indicating expectations for stronger long-term earnings. Tickerreport.com article
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks also lifted its Q1 2027 and Q3 2027 EPS estimates to $0.68 and $0.69, respectively, while raising Q2 2027 to $0.62 and Q2 2028 to $0.71, reinforcing a constructive earnings trend for APEI. Tickerreport.com article

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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