# American Public Education Inc. (APEI) fundamentals

Data as of 2026-09-08. NASDAQ, United States. Sector: Consumer Defensive / Household Products. Price $45.36, market value $830 million.

## Valuation
- **P/E (trailing): 18.4×** (5-yr avg 30.0×, 3-yr avg 33.5×). American Public Education Inc. trades at 18.4× trailing earnings, well below its own five-year average of 30.0×: cheap by its own standards. The Consumer Defensive median in the September 2026 study was 20.1×. Forward P/E is 12.1×, lower than trailing, so analysts expect earnings to grow.
- **PEG: 0.08**. A PEG of 0.08 means the P/E is low relative to expected earnings growth: the market is not paying much for that growth.
- **Price / sales: 1.2×**. Each dollar of revenue is priced at 1.2×.
- **Price / book: 2.7×**. The shares trade at 2.7× book value; book value is a meaningful part of the valuation.
- **EV / EBITDA: 9.4×**. Enterprise value is 9.4× operating earnings before depreciation, the multiple that ignores how the company is financed.
- **Free-cash-flow yield: 8.4%** (5-yr avg 7.7%). Free cash flow equals 8.4% of the market value, in line with its five-year average of 7.7%. Above 5% is generally attractive.
- **Earnings yield: 5.4%**. The inverse of the P/E: 5.4% of the price is earned each year.

## Profitability
- **Operating margin: 9.6%**. 9.6% of revenue is left after running the business.
- **Net margin: 4.9%**. 4.9% of each dollar of sales reaches the bottom line.
- **Return on equity: 10.7%**. 10.7% on shareholders' equity is solid.
- **Return on invested capital: 23.4%**. Return on all capital, debt included, is 23.4%: comfortably above what that capital costs.
- **Return on assets: 8.8%**. Each dollar of assets produces 8.8% of profit.

## Growth
- **Revenue growth (1 yr): 3.9%** (3-yr 2.3%/yr, 5-yr 15.1%/yr). Revenue grew 3.9% over the last year, against 15.1% a year compounded over five years: growth is slowing.
- **EPS growth (1 yr): 147.3%** (5-yr 1.7%/yr). Earnings per share rose 147.3%, faster than revenue, so margins expanded or the share count shrank.
- **Free-cash-flow growth (3 yr): 53.2%/yr**. Free cash flow has compounded at 53.2% a year over three years.

## Financial health
- **Debt to equity: 0.32**. Debt is 0.32 times equity: a conservative balance sheet.
- **Net debt / EBITDA: net cash**. American Public Education Inc. holds more cash than debt.
- **Altman Z-score: 4.54**. A Z-score of 4.54 places the company in the safe zone for bankruptcy risk.
- **Piotroski F-score: 5/9**. 5 of 9 checks pass: mixed.

## Dividends
- **Dividend: none**. American Public Education Inc. does not currently pay a dividend.

## Price and momentum
- **Total return (1 yr): 43.0%** (YTD 20.0%, 3-mo -13.8%). The shares are up 43.0% over twelve months including dividends.
- **From 52-week high: -26.4%** (50.2% above the low). Trading 26% below its 52-week high.
- **200-day average: below**. The price sits below its 200-day moving average, the usual definition of a downtrend.
- **RSI (14-day): 40**. An RSI of 40 is neutral.
- **Beta (1 yr): 0.30** (volatility 45%). Beta of 0.30 against the S&P 500: the shares move much less than the market.

Live score and charts: https://foliofundamentals.com/analyzer?s=APEI · Page: https://foliofundamentals.com/stocks/apei

Not investment advice.