American Public Education (NASDAQ:APEI) Releases Q3 2026 Earnings Guidance

American Public Education (NASDAQ:APEI) issued an update on its third quarter 2026 earnings guidance on Monday. The company provided earnings per share (EPS) guidance of 0.180-0.290 for the period, compared to the consensus EPS estimate of 0.560. The company issued revenue guidance of $164.5 million-$167.0 million, compared to the consensus revenue estimate of $169.9 million. American Public Education also updated its FY 2026 guidance to 2.480-2.790 EPS.

American Public Education Trading Down 3.5%

Shares of APEI opened at $45.72 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 2.98, a quick ratio of 2.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $52.61 and its two-hundred day moving average is $51.76. American Public Education has a twelve month low of $27.74 and a twelve month high of $61.59. The firm has a market capitalization of $838.64 million, a P/E ratio of 18.81, a PEG ratio of 1.22 and a beta of 1.38.

American Public Education (NASDAQ:APEI) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, August 10th. The company reported $0.52 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.36 by $0.16. The company had revenue of $171.73 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $170.88 million. American Public Education had a net margin of 6.84% and a return on equity of 15.56%. 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, research analysts predict that American Public Education will post 2.59 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

APEI has been the subject of several research reports. Lake Street Capital lifted their price objective on American Public Education from $62.00 to $64.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday. Weiss Ratings lowered American Public Education from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Wall Street Zen upgraded American Public Education from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Sunday, July 12th. DA Davidson reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $64.00 price target on shares of American Public Education in a research note on Monday, June 1st. Finally, Zacks Research raised American Public Education from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, July 13th. One equities research 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. According to MarketBeat, American Public Education presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $59.38.

Insider Buying and Selling at American Public Education

In other news, SVP Thomas Beckett sold 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 52,172 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,817,288. This trade represents a 3.69% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 10.60% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Trending Headlines about American Public Education

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

• Positive Sentiment: APEI reported second-quarter EPS of $0.52, exceeding the $0.36 consensus estimate and improving substantially from a $0.02 loss a year earlier. Revenue of $171.73 million also topped expectations of $170.88 million. American Public Education Q2 Earnings and Revenues Surpass Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Northland Securities modestly raised its FY2026 EPS estimate to $2.58 from $2.53 and its FY2027 estimate to $3.06 from $3.05, signaling slightly improved expectations for future profitability.
• Positive Sentiment: The company is developing an AI-powered student lifecycle platform with Salesforce. Planned personalized support, proactive advising and connected services could improve student engagement and operational efficiency when the rollout begins in early 2027. AI-Powered Student Lifecycle Platform
• Neutral Sentiment: APEI completed its institutional combination after the quarter ended, creating a single HLC-accredited institution. Management expects 2026 revenue of $690 million to $698 million, broadly in line with the $691 million consensus revenue forecast. Second Quarter 2026 Financial Results
• Negative Sentiment: Third-quarter EPS guidance of $0.18 to $0.29 and revenue guidance of $164.5 million to $167.0 million were substantially below analyst expectations of $0.56 EPS and $169.9 million revenue. Full-year EPS guidance of $2.48 to $2.79 also trailed the $2.93 consensus estimate, likely outweighing the quarterly earnings beat.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On American Public Education

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. raised its holdings 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 acquiring an additional 390 shares during the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of American Public Education by 4.1% during the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 538,440 shares of the company’s stock valued at $12,018,000 after acquiring an additional 21,079 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC boosted its stake in shares of 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 last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its position in American Public Education by 9.3% during the 2nd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 8,495 shares of the company’s stock worth $259,000 after purchasing an additional 720 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Legal & General Group Plc increased its position 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 worth $58,000 after purchasing an additional 552 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other 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.