Free Trial

American Public Education (APEI) Competitors

American Public Education logo
$47.86 -0.29 (-0.60%)
As of 09:56 AM Eastern
This is a fair market value price provided by Massive. Learn more.

APEI vs. STRA, LRN, MH, PRDO, and DAO

Should you buy American Public Education stock or one of its competitors? American Public Education's main competitors and comparable companies include Strategic Education (STRA), Stride (LRN), McGraw Hill (MH), Perdoceo Education (PRDO), and Youdao (DAO). Companies are selected based on similarities in market, industry, and size. These companies are all part of the "education services" industry.

How does American Public Education compare to Strategic Education?

American Public Education (NASDAQ:APEI) and Strategic Education (NASDAQ:STRA) are both small-cap consumer discretionary companies, but which is the superior business? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their earnings, profitability, institutional ownership, valuation, media sentiment, dividends, analyst recommendations and risk.

Strategic Education has a net margin of 10.46% compared to American Public Education's net margin of 6.84%. American Public Education's return on equity of 15.30% beat Strategic Education's return on equity.

Company Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets
American Public Education6.84% 15.30% 8.61%
Strategic Education 10.46%8.98%7.11%

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 Ratio
American Public Education$648.86M1.37$31.56M$2.4319.93
Strategic Education$1.27B1.43$126.61M$6.0013.65

American Public Education presently has a consensus price target of $59.38, suggesting a potential upside of 22.60%. Strategic Education has a consensus price target of $96.67, suggesting a potential upside of 18.04%. Given American Public Education's stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, equities research analysts plainly believe American Public Education is more favorable than Strategic Education.

Company Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score
American Public Education
0 Sell rating(s)
2 Hold rating(s)
4 Buy rating(s)
1 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.86
Strategic Education
0 Sell rating(s)
3 Hold rating(s)
2 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.40

79.6% of American Public Education shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 93.3% of Strategic Education shares are owned by institutional investors. 10.6% of American Public Education shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 3.6% of Strategic Education shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, hedge funds and large money managers believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

In the previous week, American Public Education had 2 more articles in the media than Strategic Education. MarketBeat recorded 4 mentions for American Public Education and 2 mentions for Strategic Education. American Public Education's average media sentiment score of 0.68 beat Strategic Education's score of 0.65 indicating that American Public Education is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company Very Positive Positive Neutral Negative Very Negative Overall Sentiment
American Public Education
1 Very Positive mention(s)
0 Positive mention(s)
2 Neutral mention(s)
0 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive
Strategic Education
1 Very Positive mention(s)
0 Positive mention(s)
0 Neutral mention(s)
0 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive

American Public Education has a beta of 1.41, meaning that its stock price is 41% more volatile than the broader market. Comparatively, Strategic Education has a beta of 0.47, meaning that its stock price is 53% less volatile than the broader market.

Summary

American Public Education beats Strategic Education on 11 of the 17 factors compared between the two stocks.

How does American Public Education compare to Stride?

Stride (NYSE:LRN) and American Public Education (NASDAQ:APEI) are both consumer discretionary companies, but which is the superior investment? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their media sentiment, profitability, dividends, risk, earnings, institutional ownership, analyst recommendations and valuation.

98.2% of Stride shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 79.6% of American Public Education shares are owned by institutional investors. 3.0% of Stride shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 10.6% of American Public Education shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

In the previous week, Stride had 1 more articles in the media than American Public Education. MarketBeat recorded 5 mentions for Stride and 4 mentions for American Public Education. American Public Education's average media sentiment score of 0.68 beat Stride's score of 0.08 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
Stride
0 Very Positive mention(s)
2 Positive mention(s)
3 Neutral mention(s)
0 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Neutral
American Public Education
1 Very Positive mention(s)
0 Positive mention(s)
2 Neutral mention(s)
0 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive

Stride currently has a consensus target price of $108.75, indicating a potential upside of 30.82%. American Public Education has a consensus target price of $59.38, indicating a potential upside of 22.60%. Given Stride's higher probable upside, equities research analysts clearly believe Stride is more favorable than American Public Education.

Company Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score
Stride
0 Sell rating(s)
5 Hold rating(s)
2 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.29
American Public Education
0 Sell rating(s)
2 Hold rating(s)
4 Buy rating(s)
1 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.86

Stride has a beta of 0.14, indicating that its stock price is 86% less volatile than the broader market. Comparatively, American Public Education has a beta of 1.41, indicating that its stock price is 41% more volatile than the broader market.

Stride has higher revenue and earnings than American Public Education. Stride 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 Ratio
Stride$2.52B1.37$338.19M$7.2011.55
American Public Education$648.86M1.37$31.56M$2.4319.93

Stride has a net margin of 13.43% compared to American Public Education's net margin of 6.84%. Stride's return on equity of 23.49% beat American Public Education's return on equity.

Company Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets
Stride13.43% 23.49% 15.66%
American Public Education 6.84%15.30%8.61%

Summary

Stride beats American Public Education on 10 of the 17 factors compared between the two stocks.

How does American Public Education compare to McGraw Hill?

American Public Education (NASDAQ:APEI) and McGraw Hill (NYSE:MH) are both consumer discretionary companies, but which is the better business? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their dividends, analyst recommendations, earnings, media sentiment, risk, institutional ownership, valuation and profitability.

American Public Education has a beta of 1.41, meaning that its share price is 41% more volatile than the broader market. Comparatively, McGraw Hill has a beta of -0.83, meaning that its share price is 183% less volatile than the broader market.

McGraw Hill has higher revenue and earnings than American Public Education. American Public Education is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than McGraw Hill, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

CompanyGross RevenuePrice/Sales RatioNet IncomeEarnings Per SharePrice/Earnings Ratio
American Public Education$648.86M1.37$31.56M$2.4319.93
McGraw Hill$2.12B1.21$35.32M$0.5026.80

In the previous week, American Public Education and American Public Education both had 4 articles in the media. American Public Education's average media sentiment score of 0.68 beat McGraw Hill's score of 0.03 indicating that American Public Education is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company Very Positive Positive Neutral Negative Very Negative Overall Sentiment
American Public Education
1 Very Positive mention(s)
0 Positive mention(s)
2 Neutral mention(s)
0 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive
McGraw Hill
1 Very Positive mention(s)
2 Positive mention(s)
0 Neutral mention(s)
1 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Neutral

79.6% of American Public Education shares are held by institutional investors. 10.6% of American Public Education shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 1.2% of McGraw Hill shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

American Public Education has a net margin of 6.84% compared to McGraw Hill's net margin of 4.38%. McGraw Hill's return on equity of 62.57% beat American Public Education's return on equity.

Company Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets
American Public Education6.84% 15.30% 8.61%
McGraw Hill 4.38%62.57%8.56%

American Public Education presently has a consensus price target of $59.38, indicating a potential upside of 22.60%. McGraw Hill has a consensus price target of $17.20, indicating a potential upside of 28.35%. Given McGraw Hill's higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe McGraw Hill is more favorable than American Public Education.

Company Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score
American Public Education
0 Sell rating(s)
2 Hold rating(s)
4 Buy rating(s)
1 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.86
McGraw Hill
1 Sell rating(s)
2 Hold rating(s)
8 Buy rating(s)
1 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.75

Summary

American Public Education beats McGraw Hill on 9 of the 15 factors compared between the two stocks.

How does American Public Education compare to Perdoceo Education?

American Public Education (NASDAQ:APEI) and Perdoceo Education (NASDAQ:PRDO) are both consumer discretionary companies, but which is the superior business? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their institutional ownership, earnings, risk, profitability, analyst recommendations, dividends, media sentiment and valuation.

Perdoceo Education has higher revenue and earnings than American Public Education. Perdoceo 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 Ratio
American Public Education$648.86M1.37$31.56M$2.4319.93
Perdoceo Education$846.10M2.50$159.91M$2.7412.32

American Public Education currently has a consensus target price of $59.38, indicating a potential upside of 22.60%. Perdoceo Education has a consensus target price of $44.00, indicating a potential upside of 30.33%. Given Perdoceo Education's higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe Perdoceo Education is more favorable than American Public Education.

Company Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score
American Public Education
0 Sell rating(s)
2 Hold rating(s)
4 Buy rating(s)
1 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.86
Perdoceo Education
0 Sell rating(s)
1 Hold rating(s)
2 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.67

Perdoceo Education has a net margin of 20.62% compared to American Public Education's net margin of 6.84%. Perdoceo Education's return on equity of 18.93% beat American Public Education's return on equity.

Company Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets
American Public Education6.84% 15.30% 8.61%
Perdoceo Education 20.62%18.93%14.66%

In the previous week, American Public Education had 3 more articles in the media than Perdoceo Education. MarketBeat recorded 4 mentions for American Public Education and 1 mentions for Perdoceo Education. Perdoceo Education's average media sentiment score of 1.79 beat American Public Education's score of 0.68 indicating that Perdoceo Education is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

Company Overall Sentiment
American Public Education Positive
Perdoceo Education Very Positive

American Public Education has a beta of 1.41, indicating that its stock price is 41% more volatile than the broader market. Comparatively, Perdoceo Education has a beta of 0.73, indicating that its stock price is 27% less volatile than the broader market.

79.6% of American Public Education shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 93.5% of Perdoceo Education shares are owned by institutional investors. 10.6% of American Public Education shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 1.5% of Perdoceo Education shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, hedge funds and endowments believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Summary

Perdoceo Education beats American Public Education on 10 of the 17 factors compared between the two stocks.

How does American Public Education compare to Youdao?

Youdao (NYSE:DAO) and American Public Education (NASDAQ:APEI) are both consumer discretionary companies, but which is the superior business? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their valuation, risk, analyst recommendations, earnings, dividends, media sentiment, profitability and institutional ownership.

21.9% of Youdao shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 79.6% of American Public Education shares are held by institutional investors. 43.0% of Youdao shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 10.6% of American Public Education shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, hedge funds and large money managers believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

American Public Education has a net margin of 6.84% compared to Youdao's net margin of 2.71%. American Public Education's return on equity of 15.30% beat Youdao's return on equity.

Company Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets
Youdao2.71% -8.46% 8.78%
American Public Education 6.84%15.30%8.61%

Youdao currently has a consensus price target of $22.00, indicating a potential upside of 21.80%. American Public Education has a consensus price target of $59.38, indicating a potential upside of 22.60%. Given American Public Education's stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe American Public Education is more favorable than Youdao.

Company Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score
Youdao
0 Sell rating(s)
1 Hold rating(s)
1 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.50
American Public Education
0 Sell rating(s)
2 Hold rating(s)
4 Buy rating(s)
1 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.86

In the previous week, American Public Education had 3 more articles in the media than Youdao. MarketBeat recorded 4 mentions for American Public Education and 1 mentions for Youdao. Youdao's average media sentiment score of 0.95 beat American Public Education's score of 0.68 indicating that Youdao is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company Very Positive Positive Neutral Negative Very Negative Overall Sentiment
Youdao
1 Very Positive mention(s)
0 Positive mention(s)
0 Neutral mention(s)
0 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive
American Public Education
1 Very Positive mention(s)
0 Positive mention(s)
2 Neutral mention(s)
0 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive

Youdao has a beta of 0.52, meaning that its stock price is 48% less volatile than the broader market. Comparatively, American Public Education has a beta of 1.41, meaning that its stock price is 41% more volatile than the broader market.

American Public Education has lower revenue, but higher earnings than Youdao. American Public Education is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Youdao, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

CompanyGross RevenuePrice/Sales RatioNet IncomeEarnings Per SharePrice/Earnings Ratio
Youdao$822.04M2.65$15.35M$0.2090.31
American Public Education$648.86M1.37$31.56M$2.4319.93

Summary

American Public Education beats Youdao on 11 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
SMS is currently available in Australia, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, New Zealand, the Netherlands, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States. By 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 Time

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 Chart

Media Sentiment Over Time

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

MetricAmerican Public EducationDiversified Consumer Services IndustryConsumer Discretionary SectorNASDAQ Exchange
Market Cap$877.38M$4.35B$12.52B$13.21B
Dividend YieldN/A2.92%87.68%22.89%
P/E Ratio19.738.5042.4019.94
Price / Sales1.3437.1388.8981.34
Price / Cash20.3552.1131.6553.04
Price / Book2.903.003.986.03
Net Income$31.56M$238.52M$443.94M$380.34M
7 Day Performance2.80%0.06%0.22%-2.34%
1 Month Performance6.55%-1.09%-2.46%-5.31%
1 Year Performance22.42%-4.74%-5.23%-2.94%

American Public Education Competitors List

CompanyMarketRankShare PriceAnalysts' Price Target1Y Price PerformanceMarket CapRevenueP/E RatioEmployee CountIndicator(s)
APEI
American Public Education
4.0325 of 5 stars
$47.34
-1.7%
$59.38
+25.4%
+30.1%$877.38M$648.86M19.735,841
STRA
Strategic Education
4.7413 of 5 stars
$79.07
-0.3%
$96.67
+22.3%
+4.4%$1.76B$1.29B13.206,134
LRN
Stride
3.6365 of 5 stars
$78.91
+0.0%
$108.75
+37.8%
-42.6%$3.28B$2.52B10.969,200
MH
McGraw Hill
3.7916 of 5 stars
$13.06
+3.7%
$17.20
+31.7%
+9.0%$2.50B$2.10B26.114,400
PRDO
Perdoceo Education
4.3446 of 5 stars
$31.83
+0.9%
$44.00
+38.2%
-2.1%$1.99B$858.61M11.626,000

Related Companies and Tools


This page (NASDAQ:APEI) was last updated on 10/14/2026 by MarketBeat.com Staff.
From Our Partners