American Public Education (NASDAQ:APEI) Lowered to Buy Rating by Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen cut shares of American Public Education (NASDAQ:APEI) from a strong-buy rating to a buy rating in a research report released on Saturday.

Several other equities research analysts have also recently weighed in on APEI. B. Riley Financial boosted their price objective on American Public Education from $67.00 to $68.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 12th. Lake Street Capital lifted their target price on American Public Education from $62.00 to $64.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday. Weiss Ratings downgraded American Public Education from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Zacks Research downgraded American Public Education from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 11th. Finally, Barrington Research increased their price target on American Public Education from $56.00 to $62.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 13th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $59.38.

American Public Education Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:APEI opened at $45.23 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $52.16 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $51.73. American Public Education has a 52 week low of $28.48 and a 52 week high of $61.59. The company has a quick ratio of 2.98, a current ratio of 3.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26. The stock has a market capitalization of $827.71 million, a P/E ratio of 18.61, a PEG ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 1.38.

American Public Education (NASDAQ:APEI) last announced its earnings results on Monday, August 10th. The company reported $0.52 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.36 by $0.16. American Public Education had a net margin of 6.84% and a return on equity of 15.30%. The firm had revenue of $171.73 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $170.88 million. American Public Education has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.480-2.790 EPS and its Q3 2026 guidance at 0.180-0.290 EPS. On average, analysts expect that American Public Education will post 2.63 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In related news, SVP Thomas Beckett sold 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $54.00, for a total transaction of $108,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 52,172 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,817,288. This trade represents a 3.69% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Corporate insiders own 10.60% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of American Public Education

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Osaic Holdings Inc. lifted its position in shares of American Public Education by 5,909.5% during 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 during the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew its holdings 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 during the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc grew its holdings in shares of American Public Education by 40.5% in the second quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 1,914 shares of the company’s stock worth $58,000 after purchasing an additional 552 shares during the last quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC increased its stake in American Public Education by 96.5% in the 2nd quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 2,643 shares of the company’s stock worth $81,000 after buying an additional 1,298 shares during the period. Finally, The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company purchased a new position in American Public Education in the 1st quarter worth about $266,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.62% of the company’s stock.

Key American Public Education News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Northland raised its fourth-quarter forecast. Analyst L. Horton increased the Q4 2026 EPS estimate to $0.87 from $0.81, while maintaining a full-year forecast near the analyst consensus of approximately $2.62-$2.63 per share. Northland Securities Weighs in on APEI FY2026 Earnings
• Positive Sentiment: APEI continues to be highlighted as a growth stock. Zacks pointed to the company’s growth characteristics and style-score profile, which could support investor interest despite recent weakness. Why American Public Education Is a Strong Growth Stock
• Neutral Sentiment: Insider activity drew attention. A top executive at American Public University System reportedly made a notable transaction in APEI shares. The impact depends on whether the transaction was a purchase or sale and its size relative to the executive’s holdings. Top Executive Makes Bold Move With American Public Education Stock
• Neutral Sentiment: APEI previously exceeded quarterly expectations. The company reported $0.52 in EPS versus the $0.36 consensus estimate and generated $171.7 million in revenue, slightly above forecasts. Management’s FY2026 EPS guidance of $2.48-$2.79 provides a generally supportive earnings backdrop. American Public Education Shares Gap Up After Better-Than-Expected Earnings
• Negative Sentiment: Northland cut its Q3 EPS estimate sharply. The firm reduced its forecast to $0.24 from $0.41, raising concerns about near-term earnings momentum even though it increased its Q4 estimate. Northland Securities Weighs in on APEI FY2026 Earnings
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks Research downgraded APEI from “Strong Buy” to “Hold.” The ratings change may be pressuring the stock by signaling less attractive near-term risk-adjusted upside. Zacks Research

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.