American Public Education (NASDAQ:APEI) Updates FY 2026 Earnings Guidance

American Public Education (NASDAQ:APEI) issued an update on its FY 2026 earnings guidance on Monday morning. The company provided EPS guidance of 2.480-2.790 for the period, compared to the consensus earnings per share estimate of 2.930. The company issued revenue guidance of $690.0 million-$698.0 million, compared to the consensus revenue estimate of $691.0 million. American Public Education also updated its Q3 2026 guidance to 0.180-0.290 EPS.

American Public Education Trading Down 7.5%

APEI stock traded down $3.85 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $47.39. 550,296 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 304,438. American Public Education has a 52-week low of $27.74 and a 52-week high of $61.59. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $52.82 and its 200-day moving average is $51.69. The company has a market cap of $869.13 million, a P/E ratio of 25.07, a P/E/G ratio of 1.32 and a beta of 1.38. The company has a current ratio of 2.98, a quick ratio of 2.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27.

American Public Education (NASDAQ:APEI) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, August 10th. The company reported $0.52 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.36 by $0.16. American Public Education had a net margin of 6.13% and a return on equity of 14.02%. The business had revenue of $171.73 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that American Public Education will post 2.59 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on APEI shares. Weiss Ratings downgraded American Public Education from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. Barrington Research upped their target price on American Public Education from $56.00 to $62.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 13th. DA Davidson restated a “buy” rating and set a $64.00 price target on shares of American Public Education in a report on Monday, June 1st. Wall Street Zen raised shares of American Public Education from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Sunday, July 12th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded shares of American Public Education from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, July 13th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, American Public Education presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $59.12.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, SVP Thomas Beckett sold 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, June 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $54.00, for a total transaction of $108,000.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 52,172 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,817,288. This trade represents a 3.69% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders own 10.60% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On American Public Education

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in APEI. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of American Public Education by 4.3% in the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 9,386 shares of the company’s stock worth $209,000 after buying an additional 390 shares during the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. lifted its position in American Public Education by 4.1% during the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 538,440 shares of the company’s stock worth $12,018,000 after acquiring an additional 21,079 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC boosted its holdings in American Public Education by 7.4% during the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 97,294 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,172,000 after acquiring an additional 6,671 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its position in shares of American Public Education by 9.3% in the second quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 8,495 shares of the company’s stock valued at $259,000 after purchasing an additional 720 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Legal & General Group Plc increased its stake 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 period. Institutional investors own 79.62% of the company’s stock.

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.