Zacks Research Brokers Decrease Earnings Estimates for APEI

Posted by Stanley Muller on May 28th, 2026

American Public Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:APEI – Free Report) – Zacks Research lowered their Q2 2026 EPS estimates for shares of American Public Education in a note issued to investors on Monday, May 25th. Zacks Research analyst Team now forecasts that the company will post earnings per share of $0.35 for the quarter, down from their previous forecast of $0.37. Zacks Research has a “Hold” rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for American Public Education’s current full-year earnings is $2.59 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for American Public Education’s Q4 2026 earnings at $0.88 EPS and Q4 2027 earnings at $0.90 EPS.

Several other equities research analysts also recently commented on APEI. Northland Securities set a $51.00 target price on shares of American Public Education in a research report on Wednesday, February 18th. William Blair set a $58.00 price target on shares of American Public Education in a research report on Friday, March 13th. Truist Financial boosted their price target on shares of American Public Education from $38.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, March 13th. Lake Street Capital restated a “buy” rating and issued a $62.00 price target on shares of American Public Education in a research report on Tuesday, May 12th. Finally, DA Davidson boosted their price target on shares of American Public Education from $58.00 to $64.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 13th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, American Public Education currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $59.13.

Get Our Latest Stock Report on APEI

American Public Education Stock Down 1.3%

NASDAQ:APEI opened at $52.01 on Thursday. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $56.20 and its 200 day simple moving average is $45.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 2.98 and a quick ratio of 2.98. American Public Education has a one year low of $25.80 and a one year high of $61.59. The company has a market cap of $953.86 million, a PE ratio of 27.52, a P/E/G ratio of 1.36 and a beta of 1.46.

American Public Education (NASDAQ:APEI – Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Monday, May 11th. The company reported $0.94 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.61 by $0.33. American Public Education had a net margin of 6.13% and a return on equity of 14.02%. The business had revenue of $174.74 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $173.73 million. American Public Education has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 0.340-0.390 EPS.

Institutional Trading of American Public Education

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Osaic Holdings Inc. increased its stake 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 valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 1,241 shares in the last quarter. Valley National Advisers Inc. bought a new stake in American Public Education during the 4th quarter valued at $39,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets increased its stake in American Public Education by 84.1% during the 2nd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 1,616 shares of the company’s stock valued at $49,000 after purchasing an additional 738 shares in the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc increased its stake in 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Tower Research Capital LLC TRC increased its stake in American Public Education by 96.5% during the 2nd quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 2,643 shares of the company’s stock valued at $81,000 after purchasing an additional 1,298 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 79.62% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at American Public Education

In related news, SVP Tanya Joy Axenson sold 20,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.68, for a total transaction of $1,113,600.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 49,917 shares in the company, valued at $2,779,378.56. The trade was a 28.61% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider 325 Capital Llc sold 95,512 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $54.76, for a total transaction of $5,230,237.12. Following the sale, the insider owned 901,234 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $49,351,573.84. This trade represents a 9.58% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 377,071 shares of company stock worth $20,753,569 over the last ninety days. 10.60% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Key American Public Education News

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

Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research raised its FY2026 EPS estimate for American Public Education to $2.63 from $2.33, signaling better near-term earnings potential.
Positive Sentiment: The analyst firm also increased its FY2027 EPS forecast to $2.85, along with higher Q1 2027, Q2 2027, and Q3 2027 estimates, reinforcing a better growth outlook.
Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research nudged its Q3 2026 and Q1 2028 estimates higher as well, which suggests confidence in APEI’s earnings trajectory over multiple periods.
Neutral Sentiment: American Public Education’s annual meeting news that shareholders backed directors and governance appears supportive of stability, but it is not likely a major direct stock catalyst. American Public Education Shareholders Back Directors and Governance
Neutral Sentiment: Zacks also highlighted APEI as a strong value stock, which is supportive for investor sentiment but is not a formal upgrade or a new operational development. Here’s Why American Public Education (APEI) is a Strong Value Stock
Negative Sentiment: Zacks trimmed its Q1 2028 EPS estimate slightly to $0.75 from $0.77 and kept only a Hold rating, limiting the upside signal from the report.
Negative Sentiment: The firm also lowered its FY2028 estimate marginally to $3.17 from $3.18, a very small cut but still a mild headwind.

About American Public Education

(Get Free Report)

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.

Earnings History and Estimates for American Public Education (NASDAQ:APEI)

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