William Blair Issues Pessimistic Forecast for APEI Earnings

American Public Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:APEI - Free Report) - Equities researchers at William Blair decreased their Q4 2024 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for American Public Education in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday, November 13th. William Blair analyst S. Sheldon now forecasts that the company will earn $0.53 per share for the quarter, down from their previous forecast of $0.57. The consensus estimate for American Public Education's current full-year earnings is $0.47 per share. William Blair also issued estimates for American Public Education's FY2026 earnings at $1.42 EPS.

Other analysts also recently issued reports about the company. Barrington Research boosted their target price on American Public Education from $18.00 to $24.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday. B. Riley increased their price objective on American Public Education from $22.00 to $25.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, November 7th. StockNews.com cut shares of American Public Education from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Truist Financial lifted their price objective on shares of American Public Education from $15.00 to $20.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday.

American Public Education Stock Down 0.7 %

NASDAQ:APEI traded down $0.13 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $18.32. 270,905 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 198,519. American Public Education has a fifty-two week low of $5.41 and a fifty-two week high of $21.04. The company has a market capitalization of $324.30 million, a PE ratio of 32.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.83 and a beta of 1.24. The company has a current ratio of 2.65, a quick ratio of 2.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $15.15 and a 200 day simple moving average of $16.27.

Insider Activity at American Public Education

In other American Public Education news, Director Michael David Braner acquired 14,393 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 26th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $15.69 per share, with a total value of $225,826.17. Following the purchase, the director now owns 1,846,299 shares in the company, valued at approximately $28,968,431.31. The trade was a 0.79 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders bought a total of 117,983 shares of company stock worth $1,747,393 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 11.38% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On American Public Education

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in APEI. Renaissance Technologies LLC grew its position in American Public Education by 14.5% in the second quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 1,004,011 shares of the company's stock valued at $17,651,000 after acquiring an additional 127,000 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its stake in shares of American Public Education by 7.8% during the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 592,213 shares of the company's stock valued at $10,411,000 after buying an additional 42,984 shares during the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. grew its position in shares of American Public Education by 329.5% during the second quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 425,064 shares of the company's stock worth $7,473,000 after buying an additional 326,091 shares in the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. increased its stake in shares of American Public Education by 43.6% in the second quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 351,644 shares of the company's stock worth $6,182,000 after buying an additional 106,689 shares during the last quarter. Finally, State Street Corp boosted its stake in American Public Education by 27.2% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 275,889 shares of the company's stock valued at $4,069,000 after acquiring an additional 58,984 shares during 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, together with its subsidiaries, provides online and campus-based postsecondary education and career learning in the United States. It operates through three segments: American Public University System, Rasmussen University, and Hondros College of Nursing. The company offers 184 degree programs and 134 certificate programs in various fields of study, including nursing, national security, military studies, intelligence, homeland security, business, health science, information technology, justice studies, education, and liberal arts; and career learning opportunities in leadership, finance, human resources, and other fields of study critical to the federal government workforce.