American Public Education (NASDAQ:APEI) SVP Thomas Beckett Sells 2,000 Shares

American Public Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:APEI) SVP Thomas Beckett sold 2,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the senior vice president owned 62,172 shares in the company, valued at $3,587,324.40. This represents a 3.12% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website.

American Public Education Price Performance

American Public Education stock traded up $0.64 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $55.98. 635,632 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 317,375. The stock has a market cap of $1.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.16, a PEG ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 1.70. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $43.75 and its 200-day moving average is $38.48. 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 12 month low of $20.75 and a 12 month high of $58.69.

American Public Education (NASDAQ:APEI) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, March 12th. The company reported $0.67 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.39 by $0.28. The business had revenue of $158.33 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $151.61 million. American Public Education had a return on equity of 11.30% and a net margin of 4.86%.American Public Education has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 0.580-0.640 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that American Public Education, Inc. will post 0.47 EPS for the current year.

Key Stories Impacting American Public Education

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

• Positive Sentiment: DA Davidson raised its price target on APEI from $48 to $58 and maintained a “buy” rating — a meaningful institutional upgrade that supports further upside. Benzinga
• Positive Sentiment: Multiple outlets reported recent price-target increases (to $56 and $57), reinforcing analyst optimism and likely contributing to buying pressure. Price Target $56 Price Target $57
• Positive Sentiment: Coverage from Zacks highlights upward earnings estimate revisions and argues APEI may be positioned for additional gains — analyst revisions often lead to multiple expansion and buying interest. Zacks
• Positive Sentiment: News coverage praising APEI’s “stellar” Q4 performance and diversified portfolio growth reinforces the narrative that the company is delivering on revenue and margin improvements after its recent earnings beat and raised Q1 guidance. TheMarketIsOpen
• Neutral Sentiment: Short-interest reports for March show anomalous values (short interest reported as 0 shares and NaN changes). The data appears inconsistent and does not signal elevated short pressure at this time; treat these figures with caution. (Data entry timestamps: 3/16–3/17)
• Neutral Sentiment: Misc. analyst note from Northland/AMBN coverage on Q1 estimates was published (informational); it provides context for near-term guidance expectations but no clear directional surprise. AmericanBankingNews

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts recently commented on the company. Griffin Securities set a $53.00 price target on American Public Education in a research report on Tuesday, January 27th. Zacks Research upgraded American Public Education from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, January 12th. Truist Financial raised their price objective on American Public Education from $38.00 to $55.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday. B. Riley Financial increased their price target on American Public Education from $53.00 to $57.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday. Finally, Barrington Research increased their target price on shares of American Public Education from $51.00 to $56.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday. 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 stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $55.50.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On American Public Education

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of APEI. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. raised its stake in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 390 shares in the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. grew its stake in American Public Education by 4.1% in the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 538,440 shares of the company’s stock worth $12,018,000 after purchasing an additional 21,079 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC grew its stake in American Public Education by 7.4% in the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 97,294 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,172,000 after purchasing an additional 6,671 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in American Public Education by 4.2% during the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 422,854 shares of the company’s stock worth $12,882,000 after purchasing an additional 17,079 shares during the period. Finally, Police & Firemen s Retirement System of New Jersey increased its holdings 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. 79.62% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.