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American Public Education (APEI) Competitors

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$45.38 -0.37 (-0.81%)
As of 09/3/2026 04:00 PM Eastern

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

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), McGraw Hill (MH), Perdoceo Education (PRDO), Youdao (DAO), and Coursera (COUR). 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 better business? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their analyst recommendations, institutional ownership, risk, media sentiment, profitability, valuation, dividends and earnings.

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 company is poised for long-term growth.

American Public Education has a beta of 1.39, suggesting that its stock price is 39% more volatile than the broader market. Comparatively, Strategic Education has a beta of 0.49, suggesting that its stock price is 51% less volatile than the broader market.

In the previous week, American Public Education had 7 more articles in the media than Strategic Education. MarketBeat recorded 14 mentions for American Public Education and 7 mentions for Strategic Education. Strategic Education's average media sentiment score of 1.61 beat American Public Education's score of 0.31 indicating that Strategic Education is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

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

American Public Education presently has a consensus target price of $59.38, indicating a potential upside of 30.84%. Strategic Education has a consensus target price of $95.33, indicating a potential upside of 16.40%. Given American Public Education's stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, 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)
6 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.75
Strategic Education
0 Sell rating(s)
3 Hold rating(s)
2 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.40

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$648.86M1.28$31.56M$2.4318.67
Strategic Education$1.27B1.43$126.61M$6.0013.65

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%

Summary

American Public Education beats Strategic Education on 9 of the 16 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 investment? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their analyst recommendations, risk, media sentiment, profitability, dividends, valuation, institutional ownership and earnings.

American Public Education has a beta of 1.39, indicating that its share price is 39% more volatile than the broader market. Comparatively, McGraw Hill has a beta of -0.85, indicating that its share price is 185% less volatile than the broader market.

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 currently has a consensus target price of $59.38, suggesting a potential upside of 30.84%. McGraw Hill has a consensus target price of $17.20, suggesting a potential upside of 29.91%. Given American Public Education's higher possible upside, analysts plainly believe American Public Education is more favorable than McGraw Hill.

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

79.6% of American Public Education shares are owned by institutional investors. 10.6% of American Public Education shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 1.2% of McGraw Hill shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

In the previous week, American Public Education had 7 more articles in the media than McGraw Hill. MarketBeat recorded 14 mentions for American Public Education and 7 mentions for McGraw Hill. McGraw Hill's average media sentiment score of 1.13 beat American Public Education's score of 0.31 indicating that McGraw Hill is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

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

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$648.86M1.28$31.56M$2.4318.67
McGraw Hill$2.10B1.20$35.32M$0.5026.48

Summary

American Public Education beats McGraw Hill on 9 of the 16 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 stock? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their media sentiment, risk, analyst recommendations, dividends, profitability, valuation, institutional ownership and earnings.

American Public Education has a beta of 1.39, indicating that its stock price is 39% 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.

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%

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$648.86M1.28$31.56M$2.4318.67
Perdoceo Education$846.10M2.45$159.91M$2.7412.11

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 insiders. Comparatively, 1.5% of Perdoceo Education shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

American Public Education presently has a consensus target price of $59.38, suggesting a potential upside of 30.84%. Perdoceo Education has a consensus target price of $44.00, suggesting a potential upside of 32.57%. Given Perdoceo Education's higher possible upside, analysts plainly 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)
6 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.75
Perdoceo Education
0 Sell rating(s)
1 Hold rating(s)
2 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.67

In the previous week, American Public Education had 7 more articles in the media than Perdoceo Education. MarketBeat recorded 14 mentions for American Public Education and 7 mentions for Perdoceo Education. Perdoceo Education's average media sentiment score of 1.74 beat American Public Education's score of 0.31 indicating that Perdoceo Education is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

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

Summary

Perdoceo Education beats American Public Education on 10 of the 16 factors compared between the two stocks.

How does American Public Education compare to Youdao?

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

American Public Education currently has a consensus target price of $59.38, suggesting a potential upside of 30.84%. Youdao has a consensus target price of $22.00, suggesting a potential upside of 41.57%. Given Youdao's higher probable upside, analysts plainly believe Youdao 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)
6 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.75
Youdao
1 Sell rating(s)
0 Hold rating(s)
1 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.00

In the previous week, American Public Education had 12 more articles in the media than Youdao. MarketBeat recorded 14 mentions for American Public Education and 2 mentions for Youdao. Youdao's average media sentiment score of 0.67 beat American Public Education's score of 0.31 indicating that Youdao is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

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

American Public Education has higher earnings, but lower revenue 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
American Public Education$648.86M1.28$31.56M$2.4318.67
Youdao$822.04M2.28$15.35M$0.2077.70

American Public Education has a beta of 1.39, meaning that its share price is 39% more volatile than the broader market. Comparatively, Youdao has a beta of 0.52, meaning that its share price is 48% less volatile than the broader market.

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
American Public Education6.84% 15.30% 8.61%
Youdao 2.71%-8.46%8.78%

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

Summary

American Public Education beats Youdao on 9 of the 16 factors compared between the two stocks.

How does American Public Education compare to Coursera?

American Public Education (NASDAQ:APEI) and Coursera (NYSE:COUR) 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 risk, profitability, analyst recommendations, institutional ownership, media sentiment, dividends, valuation and earnings.

79.6% of American Public Education shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 89.6% of Coursera shares are owned by institutional investors. 10.6% of American Public Education shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 16.3% of Coursera shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, large money managers and hedge funds believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

American Public Education has a beta of 1.39, meaning that its share price is 39% more volatile than the broader market. Comparatively, Coursera has a beta of 1.26, meaning that its share price is 26% more volatile than the broader market.

American Public Education has higher earnings, but lower revenue than Coursera. Coursera 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$648.86M1.28$31.56M$2.4318.67
Coursera$757.50M2.10-$51M-$0.67N/A

In the previous week, American Public Education had 6 more articles in the media than Coursera. MarketBeat recorded 14 mentions for American Public Education and 8 mentions for Coursera. Coursera's average media sentiment score of 1.12 beat American Public Education's score of 0.31 indicating that Coursera is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

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

American Public Education has a net margin of 6.84% compared to Coursera's net margin of -15.39%. American Public Education's return on equity of 15.30% beat Coursera's return on equity.

Company Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets
American Public Education6.84% 15.30% 8.61%
Coursera -15.39%-1.72%-1.07%

American Public Education presently has a consensus target price of $59.38, indicating a potential upside of 30.84%. Coursera has a consensus target price of $8.55, indicating a potential upside of 42.19%. Given Coursera's higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe Coursera 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)
6 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.75
Coursera
1 Sell rating(s)
4 Hold rating(s)
7 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.50

Summary

American Public Education beats Coursera on 9 of the 16 factors compared between the two stocks.

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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.
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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.
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APEI vs. The Competition

MetricAmerican Public EducationDiversified Consumer Services IndustryConsumer Discretionary SectorNASDAQ Exchange
Market Cap$837.30M$4.39B$12.88B$12.73B
Dividend YieldN/A2.78%50.81%8.86%
P/E Ratio18.6710.4746.6825.38
Price / Sales1.2835.4892.0792.60
Price / Cash19.3314.0228.7852.26
Price / Book2.643.145.776.14
Net Income$31.56M$242.43M$445.07M$349.01M
7 Day Performance-1.37%-0.71%-1.05%-0.27%
1 Month Performance-15.05%-3.15%-2.34%0.68%
1 Year Performance43.06%-4.22%-3.78%14.84%

American Public Education Competitors List

CompanyMarketRankShare PriceAnalysts' Price Target1Y Price PerformanceMarket CapRevenueP/E RatioEmployee CountIndicator(s)
APEI
American Public Education
4.1192 of 5 stars
$45.38
-0.8%
$59.38
+30.8%
+44.6%$837.30M$648.86M18.675,841
STRA
Strategic Education
4.582 of 5 stars
$83.49
+0.8%
$95.33
+14.2%
-1.1%$1.85B$1.27B13.926,134
MH
McGraw Hill
4.2676 of 5 stars
$13.04
-0.7%
$17.20
+31.9%
-11.0%$2.49B$2.12B26.084,400
PRDO
Perdoceo Education
4.4696 of 5 stars
$33.20
-0.1%
$44.00
+32.5%
+0.9%$2.08B$846.10M12.126,000
DAO
Youdao
2.0478 of 5 stars
$15.90
-3.0%
$22.00
+38.4%
+78.4%$1.92B$822.04M79.503,595

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This page (NASDAQ:APEI) was last updated on 9/4/2026 by MarketBeat.com Staff.
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