Nuno Fernandes Sells 1,100 Shares of American Public Education (NASDAQ:APEI) Stock

American Public Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:APEI) insider Nuno Fernandes sold 1,100 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $54.08, for a total transaction of $59,488.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 83,075 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,492,696. This trade represents a 1.31% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website.

American Public Education Stock Performance

Shares of American Public Education stock opened at $53.89 on Friday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $44.95 and a 200 day moving average price of $39.11. The firm has a market capitalization of $990.50 million, a P/E ratio of 39.63, a PEG ratio of 1.51 and a beta of 1.70. The company has a quick ratio of 3.46, a current ratio of 3.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. American Public Education, Inc. has a 52 week low of $20.75 and a 52 week high of $58.69.

American Public Education (NASDAQ:APEI) last released its earnings results on Thursday, March 12th. The company reported $0.67 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 company had revenue of $158.33 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $151.61 million. American Public Education has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 0.580-0.640 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that American Public Education, Inc. will post 0.47 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. Lake Street Capital raised their target price on American Public Education from $47.00 to $56.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, March 13th. Griffin Securities set a $53.00 price target on American Public Education in a research note on Tuesday, January 27th. Zacks Research raised American Public Education from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, January 12th. Truist Financial raised their price objective on American Public Education from $38.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, March 13th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of American Public Education in a report on Monday, December 29th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $55.50.

Key Headlines Impacting American Public Education

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

• Positive Sentiment: Strong quarter and guidance: APEI reported an EPS beat and revenue above estimates and provided Q1 2026 EPS guidance (0.580–0.640), which underpins bullish analyst revisions and investor interest. Zacks: Q4 & outlook
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst lift: Multiple firms have raised price targets and ratings (DA Davidson, Lake Street, Barrington and others), reflecting the beat/guidance and supporting upside to the consensus ~$55.50 target. DA Davidson Price Target Raise
• Positive Sentiment: Institutional accumulation: Some institutions (e.g., Goldman Sachs, Mirae Asset, Empowered Funds) have increased holdings recently, which can help underpin the stock after the earnings beat.
• Neutral Sentiment: Short-interest reporting looks anomalous: public short-interest printouts in mid‑March show zero-share totals and NaN changes (days-to-cover = 0.0), suggesting a reporting/data issue rather than a material change in bearish positioning.
• Negative Sentiment: Large insider/affiliate selling: 325 Capital LLC executed multiple large disposals (totaling hundreds of thousands in proceeds across March 16–18), and senior executives (including the CMO Karmela Gaffney and others) sold shares in mid‑March—these block sales raise near-term selling pressure and may signal tax- or liquidity-driven exits. See the 325 Capital filing. 325 Capital Form 4
• Negative Sentiment: Additional insider sales: CMO Karmela Gaffney and Nuno S. Fernandes filed separate sales (small-to-mid size) that together add to the week’s selling flow and can amplify short-term volatility. Gaffney Form 4 Fernandes Form 4

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. lifted its position in American Public Education by 4.3% during the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 9,386 shares of the company’s stock valued at $209,000 after purchasing an additional 390 shares during the period. Police & Firemen s Retirement System of New Jersey grew its position in American Public Education by 14.8% during the 2nd quarter. Police & Firemen s Retirement System of New Jersey now owns 3,625 shares of the company’s stock worth $110,000 after purchasing an additional 468 shares during the period. Militia Capital Partners LP grew its position in American Public Education by 7.2% during the 2nd quarter. Militia Capital Partners LP now owns 7,432 shares of the company’s stock worth $226,000 after purchasing an additional 500 shares during the period. Legal & General Group Plc raised its stake in shares of American Public Education by 40.5% during the 2nd quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 1,914 shares of the company’s stock valued at $58,000 after buying an additional 552 shares during the last quarter. Finally, State of Wyoming raised its stake in shares of American Public Education by 4.9% during the 3rd quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 12,209 shares of the company’s stock valued at $482,000 after buying an additional 569 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.62% of the company’s stock.

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.