Zacks Research Issues Positive Forecast for APEI Earnings

American Public Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:APEI) – Stock analysts at Zacks Research upped their Q1 2026 EPS estimates for shares of American Public Education in a research note issued to investors on Thursday, March 26th. Zacks Research analyst Team now forecasts that the company will post earnings per share of $0.59 for the quarter, up from their prior forecast of $0.45. Zacks Research currently 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.

American Public Education (NASDAQ:APEI) last released its quarterly earnings data 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 analysts’ expectations 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.

APEI has been the topic of a number of other reports. Lake Street Capital raised their price target 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. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of American Public Education in a report on Monday, December 29th. Northland Securities set a $51.00 target price on American Public Education in a research report on Wednesday, February 18th. Griffin Securities set a $53.00 price target on American Public Education in a research note on Tuesday, January 27th. Finally, Barrington Research upped their price target on shares of American Public Education from $51.00 to $56.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, March 13th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have assigned a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, American Public Education currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $55.50.

American Public Education Stock Performance

NASDAQ:APEI opened at $57.24 on Monday. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $46.64 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $40.02. 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. The company has a current ratio of 3.46, a quick ratio of 3.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. American Public Education has a 12 month low of $20.75 and a 12 month high of $59.42.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in APEI. State of Alaska Department of Revenue bought a new position in shares of American Public Education during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $40,000. Valley National Advisers Inc. bought a new position in shares of American Public Education in the fourth quarter worth approximately $39,000. Osaic Holdings Inc. increased its stake in shares of American Public Education by 5,909.5% in the second quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. now owns 1,262 shares of the company’s stock worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 1,241 shares in the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets increased its stake in shares of American Public Education by 84.1% in 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Legal & General Group Plc raised its position 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 purchasing an additional 552 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 79.62% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider 325 Capital Llc sold 65,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, March 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $53.78, for a total value of $3,495,700.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 836,234 shares in the company, valued at $44,972,664.52. This represents a 7.21% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, SVP Thomas Beckett sold 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $57.70, for a total value of $115,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 62,172 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,587,324.40. This represents a 3.12% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 377,071 shares of company stock worth $20,753,569. Company insiders own 17.54% of the company’s stock.

Key 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

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.