American Public Education Inc's Competitiveness
A competitive positioning analysis and financial ratio benchmarking of American Public Education Inc (APEI) against its publicly traded competitors: sales growth, net income, profitability, valuation and market share, plus each peer's market capitalization, revenue, income and employees. Free below: the top 5 peers. Subscriber access adds the full competitor list and CSV downloads.
Key Findings: American Public Education Inc vs Its Competitors
- TTM: Trailing 12-month revenue of 668M vs 7,414M combined for its competitors (8.3% combined share).
- Trending: Latest-quarter revenue run-rate is accelerating (+2.8% annualized vs trailing 12 months), vs accelerating (+6.9%) for its tracked peer group.
- Growth: American Public Education Inc generated 5.5% revenue growth year over year in Q2 2026, vs 10.1% for its competitors combined.
- Profitability: Its 5.7% net margin compares with 14.5% for the peer group.
- Scale: American Public Education Inc ranks #15 of 44 companies by market capitalization in the Educational Services industry, holding 1.9% of industry market cap.
- Peer revenue share: American Public Education Inc accounted for 8.0% of combined revenue among its tracked peer group, down from 8.3% a year earlier.
- Peer differentiation: Revenue per employee of $0.11M compares with $0.16M for the peer group (0.7x).
- Structure: American Public Education Inc operates in the following segments: Health+, Military+, Corporate and Unallocated.
Every figure above is sourced and cited in detail further down this page (Market Structure, Profitability & Cost Structure, Productivity vs Peers).
APEI Sales vs. its Competitors, Q2 2026
American Public Education Inc reported revenue growth of 5.51 % year on year in Q2 2026, below its competitors' combined revenue growth of 10.08 %.
With a net margin of 5.69 %, American Public Education Inc reported lower profitability than its competitors (14.50 %).
American Public Education Inc generated 7.98 % of the combined sales of its peer group, down from 8.30 % a year earlier.
API endpoints for this dataset
American Public Education Inc vs. its Competitors, Q2 2026
Revenue growth, year on year
Net income growth, year on year
Net margin
Revenue run-rate vs trailing 12 months
TTM net margin
TTM = trailing twelve months. Run-rate annualizes the latest quarter (×4) and compares it to TTM. In millions of $. High-Confidence Competitors are named as a competitor directly in American Public Education Inc reports; Similar-Size Competitors are the closest peers by market-cap rank within the same industry; Similar Growth & Profitability Competitors are the closest peers by combined revenue growth, operating margin and ROIC, all independent of the competitor list.
TTM revenue, latest-quarter run-rate and net income/margin benchmarked across American Public Education Inc and its 4 competitor groupings. Available under Commercial License.
| Entity | TTM Revenue | Rev Run-rate vs TTM |
|---|---|---|
| American Public Education Inc | $12,345M | +12.3% · Accelerating |
| Competitors combined | $12,345M | +12.3% · Accelerating |
| High-Confidence Competitors (2) | $12,345M | +12.3% · Accelerating |
| Similar-Size Competitors (5) | $12,345M | +12.3% · Accelerating |
| Similar Growth & Profitability (3) | $12,345M | +12.3% · Accelerating |
TTM revenue, run-rate and net margin benchmarking across American Public Education Inc's competitor groups requires a Commercial License.
For context: the Educational Services industry grew revenue 6.4% year over year, combined, vs 5.5% for American Public Education Inc. American Public Education Inc's share of combined industry revenue moved from 1.32% to 1.30%, a loss of 0.01 percentage points.
American Public Education Inc's Competitor Quality Breadth
Group definitions: see Methodology: Performance Group Definitions.
| Entity | Profitable | Expanding | Above Industry Growth | Distressed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Public Education Inc | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Competitors combined (7) | ||||
| High-Confidence Competitors (4) | ||||
| Similar-Size Competitors (10) | ||||
| Similar Growth & Profitability (8) | 100.00 % (8 of 8) | 75.00 % (6 of 8) | 50.00 % (4 of 8) | 14.30 % (1 of 7) |
Source: CSIMarket API, trailing 12 months. Altman Z-Score is not shown here: it is not populated in the underlying data for any company. Percentages are of companies in each group that report the relevant metric, not of the full group size.
APEI Stock Performance relative to its Competitors
APEI Stock Performance relative to High-Confidence Competitors
APEI Stock Performance relative to Similar-Size Competitors
APEI Stock Performance relative to Similar Growth & Profitability Competitors
5 Best-Performing Tracked Competitors, Trailing 12 Months
| # | Competitor | TTM Share Price Return | vs U.S.A. 500 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nerdy Inc | 282.9% | Outperformed |
| 2 | Covista inc | 282.9% | Outperformed |
| 3 | Laureate Education Inc | 282.9% | Outperformed |
| 4 | Perdoceo Education Corp | 282.9% | Outperformed |
| 5 | Strategic Education Inc | 282.9% | Outperformed |
TTM share price return and U.S.A. 500 outperformance for American Public Education Inc's best-performing competitors requires a Commercial License.
Source: CSIMarket API, trailing 12 months.
American Public Education Inc's Comment on Competition and Industry Peers
Publicly Traded Peers of American Public Education Inc
Revenue and income for trailing 12 months, in millions of $, except employees| Company | Market Cap | Revenues |
|---|---|---|
 American Public Education Inc |
701.24 | 668.01 |
 Laureate Education Inc |
4,634.92 | 1,914.95 |
 Covista inc |
3,814.09 | 2,003.33 |
 Grand Canyon Education inc |
3,085.95 | 1,142.07 |
 Perdoceo Education Corp |
1,705.03 | 854.84 |
 Universal Technical Institute Inc |
1,114.78 | 883.60 |
| SUBTOTAL | 16,941.03 | 8,937.09 |
Sign in to see all competitors of American Public Education Inc .
Sources: see Methodology: Peer & Competitor Identification, Sourcing.
Updated on:
Focus of this report: publicly traded companies. Ten additional tables on American Public Education Inc versus competitors, including market share analysis, are in the navigation menu under Competition. To download the tables, please subscribe.
American Public Education Inc's Competitors Named by the Company
Competitive relationships identified from American Public Education Inc reports and corroborating sources, each with a basis and confidence.| Competitor | Basis | Confidence |
|---|---|---|
| Universal Technical Institute Inc | Company report | 85% |
| USNCC | Company report | 85% |
| APUS | Company report | 85% |
| U.S. Naval Community College | Company report | 85% |
| Aspen Group Inc | Company report | 85% |
| Capella University | Company report | 85% |
| Purdue Global | Company report | 85% |
| University of Maryland Global Campus | Company report | 85% |
| Grand Canyon University | Company report | 85% |
| Southern New Hampshire University | Company report | 85% |
| University of Phoenix | Company report | 85% |
| Arizona State University | Company report | 85% |
| Penn State World Campus | Company report | 85% |
| University of Arizona Global Campus | Company report | 85% |
| Liberty University | Company report | 85% |
| Strayer University | Company report | 85% |
| Penn State University | Company report | 85% |
| Laureate Education Inc | Company report | 85% |
| Strategic Education Inc | Company report | 85% |
| Grand Canyon Education inc | Company report | 85% |
| Perdoceo Education Corp | Company report | 85% |
Company report basis, confidence, active dates and source counts for American Public Education Inc's named competitors require a Commercial License.
Methodology: see Methodology: Peer & Competitor Identification, Sourcing.
American Public Education Inc's Business Segment Mix vs Peers
Revenue by operating segment or division, as named and reported by each company. Segment names are the filer's own and are not standardized across companies. Do not assume a same-named or similarly-named segment is defined identically between two companies. Shares are of each company's own total revenue and are not required to sum to 100% (intersegment revenue, unallocated items).| Company | Largest Segment |
|---|---|
| American Public Education Inc | Health+ 50.20 % |
| Laureate Education Inc | Mexico 52.87 % |
| Covista inc | Walden University Segment 42.36 % |
| Perdoceo Education Corp | CTU 54.12 % |
| Universal Technical Institute Inc | UTI 64.46 % |
| Strategic Education Inc | U.S. Higher Education 65.39 % |
Source: operating segment revenue as reported in each company's reports (10-K/10-Q), via the CSIMarket API, leaf-level reportable segments only (parent roll-up segments are excluded where sub-segments are separately disclosed).
American Public Education Inc's Productivity vs Peers Comparison
Revenue and income per employee, trailing 12 months, in $; market cap in millions of $| Company | Market Cap | Revenue / Employee | Income / Employee |
|---|---|---|---|
| American Public Education Inc | 701 | 114,366 | 7,819 |
| Laureate Education Inc | 4,635 | 56,488 | 11,453 |
| Covista inc | 3,814 | - | - |
| Grand Canyon Education inc | 3,086 | 858,696 | 168,635 |
| Perdoceo Education Corp | 1,705 | 142,473 | 28,363 |
| Universal Technical Institute Inc | 1,115 | 215,511 | 8,365 |
| PEERS TOTAL | 16,240 | 159,131 | 19,975 |
Sign in to see all peers for American Public Education Inc .
American Public Education Inc's Geographic Revenue Exposure vs Peers
Revenue by country/region as reported in each company's most recent report. Disclosure granularity varies by filer (some report by country, others by broad region) and is shown as disclosed.| Company | Largest Market |
|---|---|
| Covista inc | Domestic Operations 79.97 % |
Source: revenue geography as reported in each company's reports (10-K/10-Q), via the CSIMarket API. Percentages are of that company's own total consolidated revenue for its most recent reported period.
American Public Education Inc's Position in Industry Market Structure
Market-capitalization share and concentration across all 40 companies in American Public Education Inc's industry classification, broader than the peer set above. Market cap in millions of $.American Public Education Inc ranks #15 of 40 companies by market capitalization in its industry, holding 1.89 % of total industry market cap. The industry's Herfindahl-Hirschman Index (HHI) is 818, indicating a unconcentrated market structure (see Methodology: Market Structure & Concentration).
| Rank | Company | Market Cap | Industry Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Graham Holdings Co | 5,223 | 14.08 % |
| 2 | Laureate Education Inc | 4,701 | 12.67 % |
| 3 | Covista inc | 3,940 | 10.62 % |
| 4 | Stride Inc | 3,550 | 9.57 % |
| 5 | Grand Canyon Education inc | 1,234 | 5.2% |
| 6 | Lixiang Education Holding Co Ltd | 1,234 | 5.2% |
| 7 | Youdao Inc | 1,234 | 5.2% |
| 8 | Tal Education Group | 1,234 | 5.2% |
| 9 | Perdoceo Education Corp | 1,234 | 5.2% |
| 10 | 17 Education and Technology Group Inc | 1,234 | 5.2% |
| 15 | American Public Education Inc | 701 | 1.89 % |
Market cap and industry share for the rest of American Public Education Inc's industry peers requires a Commercial License.
Source: CSIMarket API (daily market-structure computation) across CSIMarket's industry classification, market capitalization as of 2026-11-06.
American Public Education Inc's Same-Size Peers & Stock Performance
Peers chosen by closeness in market-cap rank within the same industry classification (not the named-competitor list above). Trailing 12-month total return, 3-month price momentum, beta and Sharpe ratio vs the broad U.S. market.| Rank | Company | Market Cap | TTM Return |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | 17 Education and Technology Group Inc | 1,303 | -46.28 % |
| 11 | Strategic Education Inc | 1,135 | -27.53 % |
| 12 | Universal Technical Institute Inc | 1,115 | -30.24 % |
| 13 | Nerdy Inc | 787 | 510.31 % |
| 14 | Phoenix Education Partners Inc | 1,234 | 12.3% |
| 15 | American Public Education Inc | 701 | 18.91 % |
| 16 | Lincoln Educational Services Corporation | 1,234 | 12.3% |
| 17 | Gaotu Techedu Inc | 1,234 | 12.3% |
| 18 | Ihuman Inc | 1,234 | 12.3% |
| 19 | 51talk Online Education Group | 1,234 | 12.3% |
| 20 | Afya Limited | 1,234 | 12.3% |
Market cap, return, momentum, beta and Sharpe ratio for the rest of American Public Education Inc's same-size peers requires a Commercial License.
Source: CSIMarket API (daily market-structure computation); returns and risk metrics as of 2026-11-06. Beta and Sharpe ratio are versus the broad U.S. equity market, not this industry.
American Public Education Inc's Profitability & Cost Structure
Trailing 12-month margins from SEC-filed financials. Operating margin is compared to the Educational Services industry median; gross margin, EBITDA margin and capital intensity are compared to the live industry average (69 companies). See the full Educational Services industry profitability benchmarks.| Metric | Company | Industry | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross Margin | 55.85 % | 35.85 % (avg) | +20.0 pp |
| Operating Margin | 9.56 % | industry median | +0.0 pp |
| EBITDA Margin | 12.07 % | 0.52 % (avg) | +11.5 pp |
| Capital Intensity (Capex / Revenue) | 2.32 % | 3.94 % (avg) | -1.6 pp |
Source: CSIMarket API, trailing 12 months. SG&A and R&D as a share of revenue have limited coverage as this data is backfilled and appear only where reported. Higher capital intensity is not inherently negative; it reflects the industry's asset requirements.
American Public Education Inc's Valuation vs Competitive Position
Valuation multiples vs the Educational Services industry average (69 companies, excluding loss-making/negative-equity outliers), alongside returns on capital for context on whether a premium or discount lines up with measurably stronger or weaker returns. See the full Educational Services industry valuation benchmarks.| Metric | Company | Industry Average | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| P/E | 22.5x | 20.8x | +1.7x |
| EV / EBITDA | 14.0x | 13.5x | +0.5x |
| P/B | 3.5x | 2.7x | +0.8x |
| Return on Equity | 15.30 % | industry aggregate | -1.36 % |
| Return on Invested Capital | 8.60 % | -2.07 % (avg) | 10.67 % |
Source: CSIMarket API, trailing 12 months. A valuation premium or discount is not, by itself, a judgment of over- or under-valuation. Compare it against the return and growth context shown elsewhere on this page.
American Public Education Inc's Multi-Year Financial Trajectory
Fiscal-year revenue growth, operating margin, return on invested capital and P/E, as reported in company reports.| Metric | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue Growth | -4.44 % | -0.52 % | -3.84 % | 12.41 % | 30.15 % | -0.95 % | 4.00 % | 3.89 % |
| Operating Margin | 11.65 % | 10.93 % | 4.46 % | 7.69 % | 7.25 % | - | 5.29 % | 7.39 % |
| Return on Invested Capital | 6.16 % | 5.24 % | 2.01 % | 4.10 % | 3.26 % | - | 4.26 % | 6.42 % |
| P/E | 19.4x | 19.6x | 41.4x | 24.7x | 22.5x | - | 32.7x | 26.1x |
Source: CSIMarket API, fiscal-year figures. P/E is this company's own historical ratio at each fiscal year end and can swing sharply around an earnings trough: that is real, not a data error.
American Public Education Inc's Strategic Group Map
American Public Education Inc is shown in red; its closest peers by combined growth, margin and ROIC are labeled. See Methodology: Strategic Group Map for how this chart is built.
American Public Education Inc's trailing-12-month revenue growth of 3.6% and operating margin of 9.6% compares with an average of 2.6% growth and 9.8% margin across its 8 closest peers by combined growth, margin and ROIC -- American Public Education Inc sits above that peer average on growth and below it on margin.
Source: CSIMarket API, trailing 12 months. Extreme outlier values (from near-zero-revenue companies) are excluded from the plotted cloud but never from the highlighted company or its labeled peers.
American Public Education Inc's BCG Growth-Share Matrix
See Methodology: BCG Growth-Share Matrix for how relative share and growth are calculated and thresholded.
American Public Education Inc falls in the Dog quadrant: relative market share of 0.13x vs its largest competitor, in an industry growing revenue 1.1% (median, trailing 12 months).
Source: CSIMarket API (market-cap share and industry revenue growth). The 10% growth and 1.0x share lines are standard textbook thresholds, not derived from this industry's own distribution.
American Public Education Inc's Competitive Forces (Porter's Five Forces)
Only the forces this data can support honestly are shown; the other three are marked as such rather than guessed.| Force | Assessment | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Competitive Rivalry | High | Industry HHI of 818 (see Industry Market Structure & Concentration above) |
| Barriers to Entry | Lower than typical for the industry | Capital intensity (capex / revenue) of 2.32 % vs industry average 3.94 % (see Profitability & Cost Structure above) |
Note: see Methodology: Porter's Five Forces. Supplier power and buyer power are covered on American Public Education Inc's dedicated Suppliers and Customers pages, not here.
American Public Education Inc's Industry Attractiveness & Competitive Strength
See Methodology: GE/McKinsey Matrix for how the two axes are built.
American Public Education Inc falls in the Low attractiveness / Medium strength cell: Harvest.
Source: CSIMarket API, trailing 12 months. Each axis score is a simple 1(low)/2(medium)/3(high) average across its three inputs -- a transparent, disclosed simplification, not a validated academic scoring model.
American Public Education Inc's SWOT
Every point below is a fixed rule applied to a metric already shown elsewhere on this page (Market Structure, Profitability, Valuation, Run-Rate, Stock Performance, Quality Breadth) not an independent strategic assessment. A blank quadrant means no rule was met, not that none apply.Strengths
- Latest-quarter revenue run-rate is accelerating (+2.8% annualized vs trailing 12 months).
- Outperforming the U.S.A. 500 over the trailing 12 months.
Weaknesses
- Low relative market share vs the industry leader (0.13x).
Opportunities
No rule matched.
Threats
No rule matched.
Methodology: see Methodology: SWOT Analysis.
American Public Education Inc's Financial Strength vs Peers Comparison
Quick ratio, working capital, debt to equity and asset turnover, trailing 12 months| Company | Quick Ratio | Working Capital | Debt / Equity |
|---|---|---|---|
| American Public Education Inc | - | 3.11 | 0.31 |
| Laureate Education Inc | 0.34 | 0.67 | 0.26 |
| Covista inc | 0.41 | 0.85 | 0.39 |
| Grand Canyon Education inc | 0.95 | 3.08 | - |
| Perdoceo Education Corp | 0.97 | 4.63 | - |
| Universal Technical Institute Inc | 0.55 | 1.15 | 0.35 |
Sign in to see all peers for American Public Education Inc .
Quick ratio = cash / current liabilities; working capital ratio = current assets / current liabilities; asset turnover = revenue / total assets. Peers in the Blank Checks industry are excluded.
American Public Education Inc's Revenue and Income Growth vs Peers
Quarterly revenue and net income growth, year over year and quarter over quarter| Company | Period | Revenue Y/Y | Income Y/Y |
|---|---|---|---|
| American Public Education Inc | Q2 2026 | +5.5 % | +882.2 % |
| Laureate Education Inc | Q3 2026 | +21.2 % | +194.4 % |
| Covista inc | Q3 2026 | +10.7 % | +9.0 % |
| Grand Canyon Education inc | Q2 2026 | +6.7 % | +10.4 % |
| Perdoceo Education Corp | Q1 2026 | +4.1 % | +23.5 % |
| Universal Technical Institute Inc | Q2 2026 | +7.2 % | -78.6 % |
| PEERS TOTAL | +9.1 % | -15.6 % |
Sign in to see all peers for American Public Education Inc .
Growth is shown only where both periods are positive. Peers in the Blank Checks industry are excluded.
American Public Education Inc's Peers' Costs of Sales and Capital Expenditures
Context for revenue growth: peer costs and capex, year over year and quarter over quarter| Company | Period | Costs Y/Y | Capex Y/Y |
|---|---|---|---|
| American Public Education Inc | Q2 2026 | -2.3 % | +28.2 % |
| Laureate Education Inc | Q3 2026 | +11.6 % | +53.6 % |
| Covista inc | Q3 2026 | +9.8 % | +134.6 % |
| Grand Canyon Education inc | Q2 2026 | - | +24.6 % |
| Perdoceo Education Corp | Q1 2026 | - | +0.2 % |
| Universal Technical Institute Inc | Q2 2026 | - | +180.9 % |
Sign in to see all peers for American Public Education Inc .
American Public Education Inc's Returns and Turnover vs Peers
ROA, ROI and ROE (trailing 12 months), receivables and inventory turnover| Company | ROA | ROI | ROE |
|---|---|---|---|
| American Public Education Inc | 8.61% | 10.30% | 15.30% |
| Laureate Education Inc | 16.54% | 20.71% | 34.24% |
| Covista inc | 9.00% | 10.45% | 18.16% |
| Grand Canyon Education inc | 22.93% | 23.73% | 31.25% |
| Perdoceo Education Corp | 13.27% | 17.21% | 17.21% |
| Universal Technical Institute Inc | 4.03% | 4.27% | 10.23% |
Sign in to see all peers for American Public Education Inc .
ROA = net income / total assets; ROI = net income / investments; ROE = net income / equity; turnover ratios use trailing 12 month revenue (receivables) and cost of sales (inventory).
American Public Education Inc's Valuation vs Peers
P/E, price to sales, PEG, price to cash flow and price to book| Company | P/E | Price / Sales |
|---|---|---|
| American Public Education Inc | 15.28 | 1.05 |
| Laureate Education Inc | 12.39 | 2.42 |
| Covista inc | 15.17 | 1.90 |
| Grand Canyon Education inc | 14.32 | 2.70 |
| Perdoceo Education Corp | 10.34 | 1.99 |
| Universal Technical Institute Inc | 32.15 | 1.26 |
| PEERS AVERAGE | 15.63 | 1.90 |
Sign in to see all peers for American Public Education Inc .
P/E = price / diluted EPS (trailing 12 months); PEG = P/E divided by EPS growth; the average row divides the peers' combined market cap by their combined income, sales, cash flow and equity.