Q1 Earnings Forecast for APEI Issued By Northland Securities

American Public Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:APEI) – Analysts at Northland Securities issued their Q1 2027 earnings per share estimates for shares of American Public Education in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday, March 25th. Northland Securities analyst L. Horton forecasts that the company will post earnings per share of $0.81 for the quarter. The consensus estimate for American Public Education’s current full-year earnings is $0.47 per share. Northland Securities also issued estimates for American Public Education’s Q4 2027 earnings at $1.05 EPS.

Several other equities analysts also recently issued reports on APEI. DA Davidson upped their price objective on shares of American Public Education from $48.00 to $58.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, March 16th. Griffin Securities set a $53.00 target price on shares of American Public Education in a research note on Tuesday, January 27th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of American Public Education in a research note on Monday, December 29th. B. Riley Financial raised their price objective on American Public Education from $53.00 to $57.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, March 13th. Finally, William Blair set a $58.00 price objective on American Public Education in a research report on Friday, March 13th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have assigned a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $55.50.

American Public Education Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ APEI opened at $57.24 on Friday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $46.64 and a 200-day simple moving average of $39.93. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 3.46 and a quick ratio of 3.46. The company has a market cap of $1.05 billion, a PE ratio of 42.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 1.70. American Public Education has a 12 month low of $20.75 and a 12 month high of $59.42.

American Public Education (NASDAQ:APEI) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, March 12th. The company reported $0.67 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.39 by $0.28. The firm had revenue of $158.33 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $151.61 million. American Public Education had a net margin of 4.86% and a return on equity of 11.30%. American Public Education has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 0.580-0.640 EPS.

Institutional Trading of American Public Education

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in APEI. Pacer Advisors Inc. raised its position in shares of American Public Education by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 63,644 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,406,000 after buying an additional 652 shares during the period. Mackenzie Financial Corp boosted its holdings in American Public Education by 6.5% in the fourth quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 51,377 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,919,000 after acquiring an additional 3,141 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC grew its position in American Public Education by 1.1% during the fourth quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 110,614 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,181,000 after acquiring an additional 1,150 shares during the period. Millennium Management LLC purchased a new stake in American Public Education during the fourth quarter valued at about $997,000. Finally, Engineers Gate Manager LP increased its stake in American Public Education by 99.9% during the fourth quarter. Engineers Gate Manager LP now owns 12,270 shares of the company’s stock worth $464,000 after acquiring an additional 6,132 shares during the last quarter. 79.62% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, SVP Tanya Joy Axenson sold 20,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the senior vice president directly owned 49,917 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,779,378.56. The trade was a 28.61% 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 the SEC website. Also, CMO Karmela Gaffney sold 2,700 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.87, for a total transaction of $150,849.00. Following the transaction, the chief marketing officer directly owned 40,527 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,264,243.49. This trade represents a 6.25% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last three months, insiders sold 377,071 shares of company stock valued at $20,753,569. 17.54% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

More American Public Education News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research sharply raised multiple EPS estimates (Q1–Q4 and FY2026–FY2028), bumped several quarterly forecasts and carries a “Strong‑Buy” rating — raising FY2026 to ~$2.33, FY2027 to ~$2.82 and FY2028 to ~$3.18, which materially improves the company’s forward earnings outlook. MarketBeat: Zacks estimate updates for APEI
• Positive Sentiment: Northland Securities also raised its quarterly and full‑year forecasts (multiple Q2–Q4 2027 and FY2027 estimates, with FY2027 ~ $3.04), reinforcing the bullish analyst momentum and supporting a higher valuation path if execution matches expectations. MarketBeat: Northland estimate updates for APEI
• Positive Sentiment: An independent price‑target lift to $57.56 (up ~20.8%) was reported, signaling increased sell‑side confidence in near‑term upside versus the stock’s recent trading range. That target sits near the company’s 12‑month high and may anchor investor expectations. American Public Education (APEI) price target increased
• Positive Sentiment: Seeking Alpha included APEI in a “Buy The Dip” roundup of high‑quality stocks to consider, which can attract retail and value‑oriented buyers if market sentiment stabilizes. Buy The Dip: Best Stocks To Buy
• Neutral Sentiment: Despite multiple upward revisions, the street consensus for the current fiscal year still shows a lower figure cited in reports (the noted $0.47 consensus), so risk remains if management misses the newly raised expectations or if macro headwinds slow enrollment/revenue growth. MarketBeat: APEI analyst consensus

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.