Zacks Research Analysts Raise Earnings Estimates for APEI

American Public Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:APEI) – Research analysts at Zacks Research boosted their Q1 2026 earnings estimates for shares of American Public Education in a report released on Thursday, March 26th. Zacks Research analyst Team now anticipates that the company will post earnings of $0.59 per share for the quarter, up from their prior estimate of $0.45. Zacks Research has a “Strong-Buy” rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for American Public Education’s current full-year earnings is $0.47 per share.

A number of other equities analysts also recently issued reports on the company. Truist Financial increased their price objective on American Public Education from $38.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, March 13th. Lake Street Capital upped their target price on shares of American Public Education from $47.00 to $56.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, March 13th. B. Riley Financial increased their price target on shares of American Public Education from $53.00 to $57.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, March 13th. Northland Securities set a $51.00 price target on shares of American Public Education in a research report on Wednesday, February 18th. Finally, DA Davidson boosted their price objective on shares of American Public Education from $48.00 to $58.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, March 16th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have given a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $55.50.

American Public Education Stock Performance

American Public Education stock opened at $57.24 on Monday. American Public Education has a fifty-two week low of $20.75 and a fifty-two week high of $59.42. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $46.64 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $40.02. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 3.46 and a current ratio of 3.46. The stock has a market cap of $1.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 42.09, a PEG ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 1.70.

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 analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.39 by $0.28. American Public Education had a net margin of 4.86% and a return on equity of 11.30%. The firm had revenue of $158.33 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $151.61 million. American Public Education has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 0.580-0.640 EPS.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On American Public Education

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. lifted its position in American Public Education by 4.3% in the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 9,386 shares of the company’s stock valued at $209,000 after acquiring an additional 390 shares in the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of American Public Education by 4.1% in the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 538,440 shares of the company’s stock worth $12,018,000 after purchasing an additional 21,079 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC raised its stake in shares of American Public Education by 7.4% in the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 97,294 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,172,000 after purchasing an additional 6,671 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of American Public Education by 4.2% in the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 422,854 shares of the company’s stock worth $12,882,000 after purchasing an additional 17,079 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Police & Firemen s Retirement System of New Jersey lifted its holdings in shares of American Public Education by 14.8% during the second quarter. Police & Firemen s Retirement System of New Jersey now owns 3,625 shares of the company’s stock valued at $110,000 after purchasing an additional 468 shares in the last quarter. 79.62% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other American Public Education news, CMO Karmela Gaffney sold 2,700 shares of American Public Education stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 17th. The shares were 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 directly owned 40,527 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,264,243.49. The trade was a 6.25% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Nuno S. Fernandes sold 6,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $53.87, for a total transaction of $350,155.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 84,175 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,534,507.25. This represents a 7.17% 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 quarter. 17.54% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Key Stories Impacting American Public Education

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

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.