American Public [APEI] vs Strategic Education [STRA] Detailed Stock Comparison

American Public Education Inc.

NASDAQ
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Strategic Education Inc.

NASDAQ
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TLDR: Quick Comparison Summary

Based on 21 vital metrics comparison: American Public Education Inc. wins in 3 metrics, Strategic Education Inc. wins in 15 metrics, with 0 ties. Strategic Education Inc. appears stronger overall.

View Metrics Details

Vital Metrics Comparison

Metric American Public Education Inc. Strategic Education Inc. Better
P/E Ratio (TTM) 43.06 12.78 Strategic Education Inc.
Price-to-Book Ratio 3.71 1.00 Strategic Education Inc.
Debt-to-Equity Ratio 55.28 6.68 Strategic Education Inc.
PEG Ratio 5.60 0.68 Strategic Education Inc.
EV/EBITDA 15.67 6.52 Strategic Education Inc.
Profit Margin (TTM) 4.86% 10.21% Strategic Education Inc.
Operating Margin (TTM) 12.03% 14.12% Strategic Education Inc.
EBITDA Margin (TTM) 12.03% 14.12% Strategic Education Inc.
Return on Equity 10.54% 7.91% American Public Education Inc.
Return on Assets (TTM) 6.17% 5.95% American Public Education Inc.
Free Cash Flow (TTM) $46.10M $153.95M Strategic Education Inc.
Dividend Yield N/A 3.65% N/A
1-Year Return 88.67% -7.79% American Public Education Inc.
Price-to-Sales Ratio (TTM) 1.71 1.29 Strategic Education Inc.
Enterprise Value $1.10B $1.58B Strategic Education Inc.
EV/Revenue Ratio 1.69 1.25 Strategic Education Inc.
Gross Profit Margin (TTM) 56.45% N/A N/A
Revenue per Share (TTM) $36 $57 Strategic Education Inc.
Earnings per Share (Diluted) $1.40 $5.65 Strategic Education Inc.
Beta (Stock Volatility) 1.49 N/A N/A
Short % of Float 14.76% 7.61% Strategic Education Inc.

American Public Education Inc. vs Strategic Education Inc. Stock Performance Analysis

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APEI
STRA

Performance Comparison

Short-term Returns

Stock1D1W1M3M6MYTD
American Public Education Inc.-0.81%-0.27%-3.02%-6.56%37.42%43.04%
Strategic Education Inc.-4.37%-8.42%-6.04%-6.60%-7.93%-5.79%

Long-term Returns

Stock1Y3Y5Y10Y15Y20Y
American Public Education Inc.88.67%1,177.70%79.39%87.99%25.58%45.13%
Strategic Education Inc.-7.79%3.25%-1.28%61.37%-36.17%-22.42%

Performance & Financial Health Analysis: American Public Education Inc. vs Strategic Education Inc.

MetricAPEISTRA
Market Information
Market Cap i$1.03B$1.64B
Market Cap CategorySmall capSmall cap
10 Day Avg. Volume i234,566304,137
90 Day Avg. Volume i441,882306,649
Last Close$51.71$74.03
52 Week Range$27.09 - $61.59$69.70 - $88.50
% from 52W High-16.04%-16.35%
All-Time High$61.59 (Apr 21, 2026)$262.44 (Apr 19, 2010)
% from All-Time High-16.04%-71.79%
Growth Metrics
Quarterly Revenue Growth-0.04%0.01%
Quarterly Earnings Growth-0.03%0.10%
Financial Health
Profit Margin (TTM) i0.05%0.10%
Operating Margin (TTM) i0.12%0.14%
Return on Equity (TTM) i0.11%0.08%
Debt to Equity (MRQ) i55.286.68
Cash & Liquidity
Book Value per Share (MRQ)$16.26$72.45
Cash per Share (MRQ)$9.47$6.97
Operating Cash Flow (TTM) i$61.97M$217.92M
Levered Free Cash Flow (TTM) i$81.99M$156.21M
Dividends
Last 12-Month Dividend Yield iN/A3.65%
Last 12-Month Dividend iN/A$3.00

Valuation & Enterprise Metrics Analysis: American Public Education Inc. vs Strategic Education Inc.

MetricAPEI (Apr 24, 2026)STRA (Apr 24, 2026)
Price Ratios
P/E Ratio (TTM) i43.0612.78
Forward P/E i16.148.97
PEG Ratio i5.600.68
Price to Sales (TTM) i1.711.29
Price to Book (MRQ) i3.711.00
Market Capitalization
Market Capitalization i$1.03B$1.64B
Enterprise Value i$1.10B$1.58B
Enterprise Value Metrics
Enterprise to Revenue i1.691.25
Enterprise to EBITDA i15.676.52
Risk & Other Metrics
Beta i1.49N/A
Book Value per Share (MRQ) i$16.26$72.45

Financial Statements Comparison: American Public Education Inc. vs Strategic Education Inc.

Financial Metrics

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Revenue

Operating Margin

Profit Margin

Long Term Debt

Income Flow Analysis

Financial Statements Comparison

Income Statement

MetricAPEI (2025)STRA (2025)
Revenue/Sales i648.86M1.27B
Cost of Goods Sold i297.02M647.11M
COGS % of Revenue i45.8%51.0%
Gross Profit i351.84M621.11M
Gross Margin i54.2%49.0%
Research & Development iN/AN/A
Operating Income (EBIT) i53.86M196.14M
Operating Margin i8.3%15.5%
EBITDA i70.01M266.46M
EBITDA Margin i10.8%21.0%
Pre-Tax Income i43.71M177.39M
Pre-Tax Income % of Revenue i6.7%14.0%
Income Tax i12.15M50.78M
Income Tax % of Revenue i1.9%4.0%
Net Income (Profit) i31.56M126.61M
Profit Margin i4.9%10.0%

Balance Sheet & Liquidity Metrics

MetricAPEI (2025)STRA (2025)
Cash & Equivalents i174.10M140.76M
Total Current Assets i259.82M277.86M
Total Current Assets % of Revenue i40.0%21.9%
Total Current Liabilities i75.05M217.94M
Total Current Liabilities % of Revenue i11.6%17.2%
Long-Term Debt i151.59M93.22M
Long-Term Debt % of Revenue i23.4%7.4%
Total Shareholders Equity i294.78M1.65B
Retained Earnings i-16.50M255.50M
Retained Earnings % of Revenue i-2.5%20.1%
Property, Plant & Equipment i57.75M91.14M

Cash Flow Statement Comparison

MetricAPEI (2025)STRA (2025)
Operating Cash Flow i56.55M189.72M
Operating Cash Flow % of Revenue i8.7%15.0%
Capital Expenditures i22.96M-42.05M
Free Cash Flow i46.10M153.95M
FCF Margin i7.1%12.1%
Debt Repayment i-213,0000
Common Stock Repurchase i-47.45M-138.89M

Short Interest & Institutional Ownership Analysis

MetricAPEISTRA
Shares Short i2.44M1.19M
Short Ratio i4.743.53
Short % of Float i14.76%7.61%
Shares Outstanding i18.13M22.61M
Float Shares i12.67M21.74M
% Held by Insiders i5.28%3.63%
% Held by Institutions i110.37%98.75%
% Held by Public i-15.65%-2.38%

Dividend Analysis & Yield Comparison: American Public Education Inc. vs Strategic Education Inc.

MetricAPEISTRA
Last 12-Month Dividend iN/A$3.00
Last 12-Month Dividend Yield iN/A3.65%
3-Year Avg Annual Dividend iN/A$2.60
3-Year Avg Dividend Yield iN/A0.68%
3-Year Total Dividends iN/A$7.80
Ex-Dividend DateN/AMar 09, 2026