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

17 Aug 2026, 03:02 by Renee Jackson · The Cerbat Gem

American Public Education (NASDAQ:APEI – Get Free Report) was downgraded by stock analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report issued on Saturday.

Other equities research analysts have also issued research reports about the stock. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of American Public Education from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. Zacks Research downgraded shares of American Public Education from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 11th. Lake Street Capital lifted their target price on shares of American Public Education from $62.00 to $64.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 11th. Barrington Research boosted their price target on American Public Education from $56.00 to $62.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 13th. Finally, B. Riley Financial upped their price target 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. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $59.38.

View Our Latest Stock Report on APEI

American Public Education Price Performance

APEI opened at $45.23 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $52.16 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $51.80. The company has a current ratio of 3.25, a quick ratio of 3.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26. The company has a market cap of $827.71 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.61, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 1.38. American Public Education has a 12-month low of $28.48 and a 12-month high of $61.59.

American Public Education (NASDAQ:APEI – Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, August 10th. The company reported $0.52 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.36 by $0.16. The business had revenue of $171.73 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $170.88 million. American Public Education had a return on equity of 15.30% and a net margin of 6.84%.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. Research analysts predict that American Public Education will post 2.63 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

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

Institutional Trading of American Public Education

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in American Public Education by 1.7% in the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 1,086,727 shares of the company’s stock worth $42,893,000 after purchasing an additional 17,902 shares during the last quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC lifted its holdings in shares of American Public Education by 3.7% during the 4th quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 962,920 shares of the company’s stock valued at $36,398,000 after buying an additional 34,700 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its holdings in shares of American Public Education by 1.8% during the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 847,320 shares of the company’s stock valued at $32,028,000 after buying an additional 15,277 shares during the period. No Street GP LP purchased a new position in shares of American Public Education in the 3rd quarter worth $32,365,000. Finally, Goldman Sachs Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of American Public Education by 12.4% in the 4th quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 595,704 shares of the company’s stock worth $22,518,000 after buying an additional 65,497 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.62% of the company’s stock.

More 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

American Public Education Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

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.