American Public Education (NASDAQ:APEI) Price Target Raised to $58.00

American Public Education (NASDAQ:APEI) had its price target raised by DA Davidson from $48.00 to $58.00 in a research note published on Monday,Benzinga reports. DA Davidson currently has a buy rating on the stock.

Several other equities analysts have also recently weighed in on the stock. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of American Public Education in a research note on Monday, December 29th. B. Riley Financial increased their price target on shares of American Public Education from $53.00 to $57.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, March 13th. Lake Street Capital lifted their price objective on shares of American Public Education from $47.00 to $56.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, March 13th. Truist Financial boosted their price objective on shares of 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, Wall Street Zen cut shares of American Public Education from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, March 14th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $55.50.

American Public Education Stock Performance

APEI opened at $54.32 on Monday. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $44.39 and its 200 day simple moving average is $38.77. American Public Education has a 52-week low of $20.75 and a 52-week high of $58.69. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 3.46 and a current ratio of 3.46. The firm has a market capitalization of $998.40 million, a PE ratio of 39.94, a PEG ratio of 1.56 and a beta of 1.70.

American Public Education (NASDAQ:APEI) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, March 12th. The company reported $0.67 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.39 by $0.28. American Public Education had a return on equity of 11.30% and a net margin of 4.86%.The firm had revenue of $158.33 million during 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. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that American Public Education will post 0.47 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at American Public Education

In other American Public Education news, SVP Tanya Joy Axenson sold 20,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.68, for a total value of $1,113,600.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 49,917 shares in the company, valued at $2,779,378.56. The trade was a 28.61% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, SVP Thomas Beckett sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $57.70, for a total transaction of $115,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 62,172 shares in the company, valued at $3,587,324.40. The trade was a 3.12% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last three months, insiders sold 212,759 shares of company stock valued at $11,817,295. 17.54% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On American Public Education

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Osaic Holdings Inc. boosted its holdings 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 acquiring an additional 1,241 shares during the period. Valley National Advisers Inc. bought a new position in shares of American Public Education during the fourth quarter worth approximately $39,000. State of Alaska Department of Revenue acquired a new stake in American Public Education during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $40,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its holdings 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 worth $49,000 after purchasing an additional 738 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Legal & General Group Plc boosted its stake in American Public Education by 40.5% in 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. 79.62% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

More American Public Education News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrade/price-target lift: DA Davidson raised its price target to $58 and maintained a Buy stance, reinforcing upside after APEI’s recent results. DA Davidson Price Target Raise
• Positive Sentiment: Broader analyst support: Several outlets/researchers have published higher targets recently, adding momentum to the bullish narrative around the company’s recovery and growth prospects. Price Target $56 Price Target $57
• Positive Sentiment: Earnings and outlook support: APEI reported a Q4 EPS beat and revenue above expectations and provided Q1 guidance (0.580–0.640 EPS), which underpins the recent analyst upgrades and constructive coverage. Zacks Coverage
• Positive Sentiment: Positive media coverage: Recent articles praising APEI’s “stellar Q4” and diversified program mix reinforce the view that earnings momentum may be sustainable. Q4 Performance Article
• Neutral Sentiment: Short-interest data appears anomalous: recent short-interest releases show zero-share totals and NaN changes (days-to-cover = 0.0), suggesting a reporting/data issue rather than a real shift in bearish positioning.
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling: Three insiders sold on March 16 — SVP Tanya Joy Axenson sold 20,000 shares (~$55.68 avg), Nuno S. Fernandes sold 6,500 shares (~$53.87 avg), and SVP Thomas Beckett sold 2,000 shares (~$57.70 avg). These sizeable disposals (Axenson’s sale reduced her stake by ~28.6%) can create short-term selling pressure or raise questions about timing, though insiders often sell for personal reasons. Axenson Form 4 Fernandes Form 4 Beckett Form 4

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.