APEI
American Public Education Inc
$49.42
▲ 0.3%Updated Today 3:42 PM ET
APEI at a glance — five pillars scored 0–100 from real filed financials.
Overall: Unrated · 0/100. A wider, greener shape means more pillars look healthy. Dividends scores 0 when a company pays none — that is a choice, not a flaw.
Market Cap
$0.00
P/E
—
Forward P/E (est.)
—
ROE
—
Revenue Growth
—
EPS Growth
—
Profit Margin
—
FCF Yield
—
Debt / Equity
—
ROIC
10.0%
Interest Coverage
12.29x
Current Ratio
2.98x
Dividend Yield
—
Implied Growth (rev. DCF)
—
Rating Score
0/100
American Public Education Inc (APEI) is a small-cap company in the Diversified Consumer Services industry, part of the Consumer Discretionary sector of the S&P 500.
In its latest reported year it generated about $648.86M in revenue and $31.56M in net profit.
Our model rates APEI Unrated (0/100) on growth, profitability, financial health, and valuation. The summary below is built from its filed financials and current ratios and refreshes automatically.
Evidence of durable competitive advantage in the filed financials (10 years of history).
The numbers don't show a durable competitive advantage — margins, growth, or returns on capital have been unstable or thin. Great returns are still possible; they just aren't protected.
1.5% average over the last 3 years
±10.3 pts around 3.6% across 10 years
grew in 5 of the last 9 year-over-year periods
positive in 10 of 10 years
10.0% latest fiscal year
A moat can't be proven by numbers alone — this scores the evidence a durable advantage leaves behind (pricing power, consistency, returns on capital), computed the same way for every stock. Pair it with the business overview before concluding anything.
4Y CAGR
11.6%
Revenue moved from $313.14M in 2016 to $648.86M in 2025, a 8.4% compound annual growth rate. The most recent year was roughly steady year over year. Slower, mature growth is common for established businesses.
Gross Margin
—
Operating Margin
7.4%
Net Margin
4.9%
ROE
—
Total Debt
$88.27M
Net Debt
-$85.83M
Net cash position
Net Debt / EBITDA
-1.79x
Debt / Equity
—
Leverage: debt-to-equity is n/a, and operating profit covers interest about 12.3x, with a current ratio of 3.0x. Detailed balance-sheet leverage is limited for this name. It carries roughly $88.27M of total debt against $174.09M of cash.
Operating CF
$61.97M
Free Cash Flow
$46.10M
FCF Margin
7.1%
In the latest year American Public Education Inc produced about $61.97M of operating cash flow and $46.10M of free cash flow after capital spending. Cash flow is what ultimately pays shareholders, so it is worth tracking over time.
P/E
—
P/S
—
P/B
—
EV / EBITDA
—
APEI trades at n/a trailing earnings. With no positive trailing earnings, value it on sales, cash flow, or growth rather than P/E.
A two-stage discounted cash flow on real SEC-filed free cash flow — the intrinsic-value anchor professional analysts triangulate from.
DCF fair value / share
$43.15
Current price
$49.42
Starting FCF (latest 10-K)
$46.10M
Growth, years 1–5
4.0%
Fade to terminal, years 6–10
2.5%
Discount rate
9.0%
Cash flows grow at the stage-1 rate (trailing revenue growth, capped at 20%) for five years, fade to 2.5% by year 10, and continue at that rate forever (Gordon terminal value), all discounted at 9.0%. Small changes in assumptions move the result a lot — treat this as one reference point, not a target price. Educational only, not investment advice.
Where APEI sits versus its Consumer Discretionary sector peers in the S&P 500.
Bands show the middle half (25th–75th percentile) of the 85 Consumer Discretionary companies in the S&P 500 — the peer-relative anchor professional comps analysis uses. Context only — not investment advice.
How APEI stacks up against its Consumer Discretionary peers — valuation, profitability, and growth versus the sector median.
In the Consumer Discretionary sector (158 S&P 500 companies), APEI ranks #88 of 158 by our overall rating.
P/E vs sector
—
median 25.1x
ROE vs sector
—
median 26.2%
Growth vs sector
—
median 6.8%
Sector rank
#88
of 158 by rating
Peers are the closest Consumer Discretionary companies by sub-industry and size. Sector median is across all 158 S&P 500 names in the sector. Educational, not a recommendation.
Project revenue → earnings → price. Edit the assumptions to build your own case.
2030 price target (Base Case)
$0.00 – $0.00
vs. $49.42 today · expected CAGR -9% – 1%
| Metric | 2026 | 2027 | 2028 | 2029 | 2030 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue | $700.77M | $756.83M | $817.38M | $882.77M | $953.39M |
| Net income | $35.04M | $37.84M | $40.87M | $44.14M | $47.67M |
| EPS | $1.91 | $2.06 | $2.23 | $2.41 | $2.60 |
| Share price (low) | $22.92 | $24.76 | $26.74 | $28.87 | $31.18 |
| Share price (high) | $38.20 | $41.26 | $44.56 | $48.12 | $51.97 |
| CAGR (low–high) | -54% / -23% | -29% / -9% | -19% / -3% | -13% / -1% | -9% / 1% |
Educational model on sample fundamentals — not a forecast or investment advice. Outputs are only as good as your assumptions.
The case for APEI:
- As an established S&P 500 member in Consumer Discretionary, it brings scale and a long operating history.
The case against APEI:
- Like any single stock, it is exposed to competition, the economic cycle, and shifts in its end markets.
Market risk — sector rotation, the economic cycle, and broad sentiment move the stock regardless of fundamentals.
On balance, the picture is mixed: American Public Education Inc is a small-cap consumer discretionary business growing at a mature pace, with modest profitability, and a heavier debt load to watch. It trades at n/a earnings, which our model scores Unrated (0/100). Weigh this against your own goals and time horizon — this is educational information, not a recommendation.
Analyst Ratings
What 14 Wall Street analysts covering APEI recommend (July 2026). Consensus is a useful sanity check — not a substitute for your own homework.
Latest SEC Filings
APEI's most recent filings, straight from SEC EDGAR. Annual and quarterly reports are the deep dives; 8-Ks flag material events the moment they happen.
APEI — frequently asked questions
Is APEI a good stock to buy?
We don't give buy or sell advice. Review American Public Education Inc's fundamentals, valuation, and 5-year financials on this page, then make your own decision — and consider a licensed professional.
Where does APEI's data come from?
Live price data plus real fundamentals and 5-year financials pulled directly from American Public Education Inc's SEC filings — refreshed automatically, not hand-entered.
How is the 5-year projection for APEI calculated?
It's a scenario model: it grows revenue at an assumed rate, applies a profit margin and a valuation multiple, and shows the resulting share-price range. The assumptions are yours to change — it's a tool for thinking, not a prediction.
Is this APEI analysis financial advice?
No. Everything on this page is educational research, not financial advice or a recommendation to buy or sell APEI. Always do your own research and consider a licensed professional.
Data notice. Fundamentals and financial statements are sourced from company filings (SEC EDGAR) and market-data providers; prices and market caps refresh on trading days and may be delayed. Ratings, projections, technical signals, and written summaries are model- or rule-generated for education and may simplify or lag the latest filings.
Not advice. Nothing on this page is investment advice or a recommendation to buy, hold, or sell any security. Do your own research and consult a licensed financial professional before investing.