American Public Education (APEI) Competitors $35.92 -0.41 (-1.13%) Closing price 09/19/2025 04:00 PM EasternExtended Trading$35.92 -0.01 (-0.01%) As of 09/19/2025 04:21 PM Eastern Extended trading is trading that happens on electronic markets outside of regular trading hours. This is a fair market value extended hours price provided by Polygon.io. Learn more. Add Compare Share Share Competitors Stock AnalysisAnalyst ForecastsChartCompetitorsEarningsFinancialsHeadlinesInsider TradesOptions ChainOwnershipSEC FilingsShort InterestSustainabilityTrendsBuy This Stock APEI vs. STRA, ATGE, UTI, LINC, LRN, BFAM, LOPE, PRDO, AFYA, and GOTUShould you be buying American Public Education stock or one of its competitors? The main competitors of American Public Education include Strategic Education (STRA), Adtalem Global Education (ATGE), Universal Technical Institute (UTI), Lincoln Educational Services (LINC), Stride (LRN), Bright Horizons Family Solutions (BFAM), Grand Canyon Education (LOPE), Perdoceo Education (PRDO), Afya (AFYA), and Gaotu Techedu (GOTU). American Public Education vs. Its Competitors Strategic Education Adtalem Global Education Universal Technical Institute Lincoln Educational Services Stride Bright Horizons Family Solutions Grand Canyon Education Perdoceo Education Afya Gaotu Techedu Strategic Education (NASDAQ:STRA) and American Public Education (NASDAQ:APEI) are both small-cap consumer discretionary companies, but which is the better stock? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their profitability, media sentiment, institutional ownership, earnings, risk, valuation, dividends and analyst recommendations. Which has higher earnings and valuation, STRA or APEI? Strategic Education has higher revenue and earnings than American Public Education. Strategic Education is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than American Public Education, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks. CompanyGross RevenuePrice/Sales RatioNet IncomeEarnings Per SharePrice/Earnings RatioStrategic Education$1.22B1.61$112.68M$4.8117.05American Public Education$624.56M1.04$16.11M$1.0633.89 Does the media refer more to STRA or APEI? In the previous week, Strategic Education had 3 more articles in the media than American Public Education. MarketBeat recorded 6 mentions for Strategic Education and 3 mentions for American Public Education. American Public Education's average media sentiment score of 1.24 beat Strategic Education's score of 0.43 indicating that American Public Education is being referred to more favorably in the news media. Company Very Positive Positive Neutral Negative Very Negative Overall Sentiment Strategic Education 4 Very Positive mention(s) 1 Positive mention(s) 1 Neutral mention(s) 0 Negative mention(s) 0 Very Negative mention(s) Neutral American Public Education 2 Very Positive mention(s) 0 Positive mention(s) 1 Neutral mention(s) 0 Negative mention(s) 0 Very Negative mention(s) Positive Which has more volatility and risk, STRA or APEI? Strategic Education has a beta of 0.69, suggesting that its share price is 31% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, American Public Education has a beta of 1.61, suggesting that its share price is 61% more volatile than the S&P 500. Do analysts prefer STRA or APEI? Strategic Education currently has a consensus price target of $99.33, indicating a potential upside of 21.12%. American Public Education has a consensus price target of $35.86, indicating a potential downside of 0.17%. Given Strategic Education's stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts plainly believe Strategic Education is more favorable than American Public Education.Company Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score Strategic Education 0 Sell rating(s) 0 Hold rating(s) 3 Buy rating(s) 0 Strong Buy rating(s) 3.00American Public Education 0 Sell rating(s) 2 Hold rating(s) 6 Buy rating(s) 1 Strong Buy rating(s) 2.89 Do institutionals and insiders believe in STRA or APEI? 93.3% of Strategic Education shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 79.6% of American Public Education shares are held by institutional investors. 3.3% of Strategic Education shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 17.5% of American Public Education shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a company is poised for long-term growth. Is STRA or APEI more profitable? Strategic Education has a net margin of 9.27% compared to American Public Education's net margin of 4.44%. American Public Education's return on equity of 10.82% beat Strategic Education's return on equity.Company Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets Strategic Education9.27% 7.52% 5.99% American Public Education 4.44%10.82%5.07% SummaryStrategic Education beats American Public Education on 10 of the 17 factors compared between the two stocks. Get American Public Education News Delivered to You Automatically Sign up to receive the latest news and ratings for APEI and its competitors with MarketBeat's FREE daily newsletter. Subscribe Now View SMS TermsBy entering your phone number and clicking the sign-up button, you agree to receive periodic text messages from MarketBeat at the phone number you submitted, including texts that may be sent using an automatic telephone dialing system. Message and data rates may apply. Message frequency will vary. Messages will consist of stock alerts, news stories, and partner advertisements/offers. Consent is not a condition of the purchase of any goods or services. Text HELP for help/customer support. Unsubscribe at any time by replying "STOP" to any text message that you receive from MarketBeat or by visiting our mailing preferences page. Read our full terms of service and privacy policy. New MarketBeat Followers Over TimeWhat are MarkeBeat Followers?This chart shows the number of new MarketBeat users adding APEI and its top 5 competitors to their watchlist. Each company is represented with a line over a 90 day period. Skip ChartMedia Sentiment Over TimeWhat is Media Sentiment?This chart shows the average media sentiment of NASDAQ and its competitors over the past 90 days as caculated by MarketBeat. The averaged score is equivalent to the following: Very Negative Sentiment <= -1.5, Negative Sentiment > -1.5 and <= -0.5, Neutral Sentiment > -0.5 and < 0.5, Positive Sentiment >= 0.5 and < 1.5, and Very Positive Sentiment >= 1.5.Skip Chart APEI vs. The Competition Export to ExcelMetricAmerican Public EducationSCHOOLS IndustryDiscretionary SectorNASDAQ ExchangeMarket Cap$656.38M$1.52B$8.44B$10.40BDividend YieldN/A4.55%2.96%4.60%P/E Ratio33.8913.1218.5926.75Price / Sales1.042.196.06124.23Price / Cash17.4414.9417.1761.55Price / Book2.413.215.066.40Net Income$16.11M$85.04M$256.79M$271.62M7 Day Performance0.59%0.72%0.53%3.46%1 Month Performance18.70%7.25%7.09%9.87%1 Year Performance136.78%54.22%54.03%28.45% American Public Education Competitors List Export to ExcelCompanyMarketRankShare PriceAnalysts' Price Target1Y Price PerformanceMarket CapRevenueP/E RatioEmployee CountIndicator(s)APEIAmerican Public Education4.1737 of 5 stars$35.92-1.1%$35.86-0.2%+133.1%$656.38M$624.56M33.896,117Positive NewsSTRAStrategic Education4.4042 of 5 stars$83.13+1.4%$99.33+19.5%-13.5%$1.96B$1.22B17.283,801ATGEAdtalem Global Education4.3718 of 5 stars$136.16+1.3%$139.00+2.1%+87.4%$4.83B$1.79B22.0010,371Positive NewsAnalyst DowngradeUTIUniversal Technical Institute3.6199 of 5 stars$27.54+2.3%$35.83+30.1%+67.4%$1.47B$732.69M24.163,700Positive NewsLINCLincoln Educational Services3.6784 of 5 stars$19.58+1.0%$25.00+27.7%+66.8%$612.77M$440.06M42.572,475Positive NewsLRNStride3.1033 of 5 stars$164.23+2.2%$146.40-10.9%+68.5%$7.01B$2.41B27.288,600Trending NewsAnalyst UpgradeBFAMBright Horizons Family Solutions4.5556 of 5 stars$116.50-0.3%$134.57+15.5%-20.3%$6.64B$2.69B38.201,450Positive NewsLOPEGrand Canyon Education4.1762 of 5 stars$205.45+0.6%$203.67-0.9%+48.4%$5.74B$1.03B24.875,830Positive NewsShort Interest ↓PRDOPerdoceo Education4.5892 of 5 stars$33.49+1.7%$40.00+19.4%+56.3%$2.14B$681.26M14.505,690Insider TradeAFYAAfya4.6359 of 5 stars$15.61+3.8%$18.20+16.6%-6.0%$1.41B$612.78M11.839,717High Trading VolumeGOTUGaotu Techedu0.9202 of 5 stars$3.61+0.1%N/A+22.9%$911.48M$623.84M-9.4914,381 Related Companies and Tools Related Companies Strategic Education Competitors Adtalem Global Education Competitors Universal Technical Institute Competitors Lincoln Educational Services Competitors Stride Competitors Bright Horizons Family Solutions Competitors Grand Canyon Education Competitors Perdoceo Education Competitors Afya Competitors Gaotu Techedu Competitors Top 10 Stock Comparisons Semiconductor Stocks Artificial Intelligence Stocks Growth Stocks Magnificent Seven Stocks Pharmaceutical Stocks Ecommerce Stocks Bitcoin Stocks Meme Stocks Cryptocurrency Stocks Cybersecurity Stocks This page (NASDAQ:APEI) was last updated on 9/20/2025 by MarketBeat.com Staff From Our PartnersPrepare for the “Mar-a-Lago Accord” Money ShockWhy Are Wall Street Insiders Moving Their Money to This ONE Asset? 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