--- title: "Barrington Research Issues Positive Forecast for American Public Education (NASDAQ:APEI) Stock Price" type: "News" locale: "en" url: "https://longbridge.com/en/news/279094129.md" description: "Barrington Research has raised its target price for American Public Education (NASDAQ:APEI) from $51.00 to $56.00, maintaining an \"outperform\" rating. The stock recently traded at $57.66, reflecting a 21.2% increase. Analysts have varying price targets, with a consensus target of $54.25. The company reported strong Q4 earnings, exceeding estimates, and raised its Q1 2026 guidance. Institutional investors hold 79.62% of the stock, indicating strong interest. Overall, positive sentiment surrounds the company's growth prospects and financial performance." datetime: "2026-03-13T21:17:08.000Z" locales: - [zh-CN](https://longbridge.com/zh-CN/news/279094129.md) - [en](https://longbridge.com/en/news/279094129.md) - [zh-HK](https://longbridge.com/zh-HK/news/279094129.md) --- # Barrington Research Issues Positive Forecast for American Public Education (NASDAQ:APEI) Stock Price American Public Education (NASDAQ:APEI - Get Free Report) had its price objective boosted by investment analysts at Barrington Research from $51.00 to $56.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Friday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has an "outperform" rating on the stock. Barrington Research's price target would indicate a potential downside of 2.88% from the company's current price. Other research analysts have also issued research reports about the stock. Northland Securities set a $51.00 target price on American Public Education in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. Truist Financial set a $55.00 price target on shares of American Public Education in a report on Friday. DA Davidson raised their price objective on shares of American Public Education from $43.00 to $48.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. Griffin Securities set a $53.00 price objective on shares of American Public Education in a research note on Tuesday, January 27th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered shares of American Public Education from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, December 1st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $54.25. **View Our Latest Research Report on American Public Education** ## American Public Education Stock Up 21.2% APEI traded up $10.08 on Friday, reaching $57.66. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,924,783 shares, compared to its average volume of 299,564. American Public Education has a 1 year low of $20.75 and a 1 year high of $58.69. The business's 50 day moving average is $42.98 and its 200 day moving average is $38.01. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a current ratio of 2.84 and a quick ratio of 2.84. The stock has a market cap of $1.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 43.68, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.37 and a beta of 1.70. American Public Education (NASDAQ:APEI - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, March 12th. The company reported $0.67 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.39 by $0.28. American Public Education had a net margin of 4.87% and a return on equity of 11.75%. The company had revenue of $158.33 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $151.61 million. American Public Education has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 0.580-0.640 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that American Public Education will post 0.47 EPS for the current fiscal year. ## Institutional Inflows and Outflows Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd acquired a new position in shares of American Public Education in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $821,000. 4D Advisors LLC grew its position in American Public Education by 111.1% in the second quarter. 4D Advisors LLC now owns 285,000 shares of the company's stock valued at $8,681,000 after acquiring an additional 150,000 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. grew its position in American Public Education by 8.7% in the third quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 612,087 shares of the company's stock valued at $24,159,000 after acquiring an additional 49,008 shares during the period. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership raised its stake in American Public Education by 76.1% during the second quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 389,586 shares of the company's stock worth $11,867,000 after acquiring an additional 168,362 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Navellier & Associates Inc. acquired a new position in American Public Education during the third quarter worth $1,033,000. Institutional investors own 79.62% of the company's stock. ## Key American Public Education News Here are the key news stories impacting American Public Education this week: - Positive Sentiment: Q4 results beat expectations: APEI reported Q4 EPS of $0.67 and revenue of $158.3M, topping consensus and showing cash from operations surged — a clear positive catalyst for investor buying. Q4 Results Press Release - Positive Sentiment: Management raised Q1 2026 guidance (EPS 0.58–0.64 vs. consensus ~0.55) and issued FY2026 revenue guidance in the $685M–$695M band; Q1 revenue guidance also above consensus — signals confidence in near-term growth. Guidance Slide Deck - Positive Sentiment: Refinancing completed: A new five‑year $130M senior secured credit facility (term + revolver) reduces borrowing costs by roughly $3.7M and improves liquidity — supportive for execution of growth plans. Refinancing Release - Positive Sentiment: Analysts turning more constructive: Lake Street and B. Riley raised price targets and maintain buy ratings; William Blair reiterated a buy after the Q4 beat — these actions can amplify demand for the stock. Analyst Note (Benzinga) - Positive Sentiment: Technical/market interest: Coverage notes that APEI hit a 52-week high, attracting momentum-focused buying and higher-than-normal trading volume. Zacks: 52-Week High - Neutral Sentiment: Investor materials and call transcripts published (earnings slide deck, Q4 call transcripts across Seeking Alpha / MSN / InsiderMonkey) — useful for due diligence but not new catalysts by themselves. Earnings Call Transcript - Neutral Sentiment: Short-interest reporting in feeds appears inconsistent (entries show zero shares) and should be treated with caution — no clear short squeeze signal. QuiverQuant Summary - Negative Sentiment: Margins and operating profit declined year‑over‑year (gross profit and operating profit down), and some insiders sold shares recently — these are potential longer‑term concerns that investors should monitor. Profitability & Insider Notes ## About American Public Education (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. 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. ## Further Reading - Five stocks we like better than American Public Education - The gold chart Wall Street is terrified of… - Elon Musk already made me a “wealthy man” - Unlocked: Elon Musk’s Next Big IPO - Silver paying 20% dividend. Plus 68% share gains - 1,500 Banks Just Handed the Fed Your Bank Account _This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com._ ## Should You Invest $1,000 in American Public Education Right Now? Before you consider American Public Education, you'll want to hear this. MarketBeat keeps track of Wall Street's top-rated and best performing research analysts and the stocks they recommend to their clients on a daily basis. MarketBeat has identified the five stocks that top analysts are quietly whispering to their clients to buy now before the broader market catches on... and American Public Education wasn't on the list. While American Public Education currently has a Moderate Buy rating among analysts, top-rated analysts believe these five stocks are better buys. 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