Zacks Research Issues Negative Outlook for APEI Earnings

American Public Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:APEI) – Equities researchers at Zacks Research dropped their Q1 2026 earnings estimates for American Public Education in a research report issued to clients and investors on Thursday, December 18th. Zacks Research analyst Team now forecasts that the company will post earnings of $0.45 per share for the quarter, down from their previous estimate of $0.46. The consensus estimate for American Public Education’s current full-year earnings is $0.47 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for American Public Education’s Q2 2026 earnings at $0.32 EPS and Q4 2026 earnings at $0.84 EPS.

American Public Education (NASDAQ:APEI) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, November 10th. The company reported $0.30 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.09) by $0.39. American Public Education had a net margin of 4.87% and a return on equity of 11.75%. The company had revenue of $163.22 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $160.02 million. American Public Education has set its Q4 2025 guidance at 0.320-0.450 EPS.

Several other research analysts have also recently issued reports on the company. Barrington Research reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $40.00 price target on shares of American Public Education in a report on Tuesday, November 11th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of American Public Education in a research report on Monday, December 15th. Truist Financial increased their price target on American Public Education from $35.00 to $38.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, November 21st. B. Riley boosted their price objective on American Public Education from $37.00 to $40.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 11th. Finally, Lake Street Capital upped their price objective on shares of American Public Education from $38.00 to $40.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, November 21st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $40.57.

American Public Education Trading Down 0.1%

Shares of NASDAQ:APEI opened at $38.37 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $693.73 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.07, a PEG ratio of 2.36 and a beta of 1.71. American Public Education has a 1-year low of $18.76 and a 1-year high of $39.83. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a quick ratio of 2.84 and a current ratio of 2.84. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $35.20 and a 200 day moving average price of $32.88.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On American Public Education

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Osaic Holdings Inc. boosted its position in American Public Education by 5,909.5% during the 2nd quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. now owns 1,262 shares of the company’s stock worth $38,000 after acquiring an additional 1,241 shares during the period. State of Alaska Department of Revenue purchased a new stake in shares of American Public Education in the third quarter worth approximately $40,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets boosted its holdings in shares of American Public Education by 84.1% during the second quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 1,616 shares of the company’s stock worth $49,000 after purchasing an additional 738 shares during the period. USA Financial Formulas acquired a new stake in shares of American Public Education during the second quarter worth approximately $58,000. Finally, Legal & General Group Plc grew its position in American Public Education by 40.5% during the second quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 1,914 shares of the company’s stock valued at $58,000 after purchasing an additional 552 shares in the last quarter. 79.62% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.