Last 48 quarters of trend data · Consumer Defensive · Education & Training Services
Quarterly valuation ratios — annualised for comparability. YoY Δ shows same-quarter-prior-year change.
American Public Education, Inc.'s quarterly P/E stands at 15.1x, up 11.2% year-over-year — indicating the stock has re-rated higher or earnings have softened. EV/EBITDA has expanded 28.3% YoY to 8.9x, reflecting rising market expectations or slowing EBITDA growth.
| Metric | TTM | Q1 '26 | Q4 '25 | Q3 '25 | Q2 '25 | Q1 '25 | Q4 '24 | Q3 '24 | Q2 '24 | Q1 '24 | Q4 '23 | Q3 '23 | Q2 '23 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P/E Ratio → | 38.76 | 15.13 | 14.10 | 32.89 | — | 13.61 | 8.56 | 92.19 | — | — | 3.77 | — | — |
| — | +11.2% | +64.8% | -64.3% | — | — | +127.1% | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| P/S Ratio | 1.49 | 1.53 | 1.11 | 1.13 | 0.84 | 0.62 | 0.60 | 0.44 | 0.52 | 0.41 | 0.28 | 0.15 | 0.14 |
| — | +145.0% | +84.5% | +158.0% | +61.9% | +52.5% | +113.6% | +198.8% | +259.9% | +137.2% | -26.1% | -49.1% | -71.6% | |
| P/B Ratio | 3.34 | 3.49 | 2.39 | 2.65 | 2.02 | 1.33 | 1.30 | 0.93 | 1.10 | 0.88 | 0.59 | 0.32 | 0.30 |
| — | +163.5% | +83.5% | +186.0% | +82.7% | +51.2% | +120.4% | +193.9% | +268.9% | +190.8% | -11.3% | -42.5% | -69.0% | |
| P/FCF | 20.98 | 4.40 | — | 10.57 | 12.36 | 3.11 | — | 8.67 | 10.98 | 4.35 | — | 1.29 | 1.72 |
| — | +41.7% | — | +21.9% | +12.5% | -28.7% | — | +572.2% | +538.5% | +60.9% | — | -90.3% | -64.4% | |
| EV / EBITDA | 13.62 | 8.85 | 7.46 | 13.10 | 12.82 | 6.90 | 4.58 | 8.42 | 13.23 | 7.37 | 3.10 | 3.10 | — |
| — | +28.3% | +63.1% | +55.6% | -3.1% | -6.3% | +47.5% | +171.3% | — | -65.6% | -69.8% | -71.3% | — | |
| EV / EBIT | 17.70 | 10.54 | 9.08 | 18.44 | 20.19 | 9.15 | 5.40 | 18.78 | 30.98 | 14.58 | 3.06 | 6.51 | — |
| — | +15.2% | +68.2% | -1.8% | -34.8% | -37.2% | +76.3% | +188.4% | — | — | -69.6% | — | — |
Quarterly margins and returns. Watch for margin compression across consecutive quarters.
American Public Education, Inc.'s operating margin was 12.5% in Q1 2026, up 0.4 pp QoQ and up 5.0 pp YoY. This marks the 4th consecutive quarter of margin expansion, signaling a sustained improvement in operating efficiency. The trailing four-quarter average of 8.7% lags the current quarter, suggesting the recent improvement is above-trend.
| Metric | TTM | Q1 '26 | Q4 '25 | Q3 '25 | Q2 '25 | Q1 '25 | Q4 '24 | Q3 '24 | Q2 '24 | Q1 '24 | Q4 '23 | Q3 '23 | Q2 '23 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gross Margin | 51.7% | 54.9% | 53.8% | 54.2% | 51.8% | 54.5% | 56.3% | 50.8% | 50.2% | 53.1% | 53.7% | 51.5% | 49.1% |
| — | +0.8% | -4.4% | +6.8% | +3.3% | +2.5% | +4.9% | -1.4% | +2.2% | +4.9% | +2.9% | -1.0% | -5.3% | |
| Operating Margin | 8.3% | 12.5% | 12.0% | 5.9% | 4.3% | 7.4% | 13.1% | 2.7% | 1.5% | 3.4% | 10.4% | 4.2% | -44.3% |
| — | +67.6% | -8.3% | +120.3% | +197.2% | +121.8% | +25.9% | -36.4% | +103.3% | +193.5% | +6165.4% | +718.4% | +53.0% | |
| Net Margin | 4.9% | 10.1% | 8.0% | 3.4% | 2.8% | 5.4% | 7.9% | 1.5% | 0.2% | 0.3% | 8.5% | -2.2% | -34.8% |
| — | +87.8% | +0.8% | +130.6% | +1038.1% | +1517.6% | -7.2% | +167.0% | +100.7% | +108.7% | +298.7% | +12.3% | +52.7% |
| Metric | TTM | Q1 '26 | Q4 '25 | Q3 '25 | Q2 '25 | Q1 '25 | Q4 '24 | Q3 '24 | Q2 '24 | Q1 '24 | Q4 '23 | Q3 '23 | Q2 '23 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ROE | 10.5% | 5.9% | 4.4% | 2.0% | 1.5% | 2.9% | 4.4% | 0.8% | 0.1% | 0.2% | 4.5% | -1.2% | -16.3% |
| — | +103.7% | +0.7% | +158.1% | +1100.9% | +1529.5% | -3.9% | +166.5% | +100.8% | +110.7% | +331.0% | +1.4% | +45.2% | |
| ROA | 5.7% | 3.3% | 2.4% | 1.0% | 0.8% | 1.5% | 2.3% | 0.4% | 0.1% | 0.1% | 2.3% | -0.6% | -8.7% |
| — | +111.8% | +3.7% | +161.4% | +1115.2% | +1575.6% | -2.7% | +167.0% | +100.8% | +110.5% | +340.9% | -5.0% | +43.3% | |
| ROIC | 12.4% | 7.5% | 5.3% | 2.7% | 1.6% | 2.6% | 4.6% | 0.9% | 0.5% | 1.1% | 3.2% | 1.3% | -12.3% |
| — | +193.4% | +16.3% | +198.6% | +247.9% | +136.2% | +42.0% | -33.8% | +103.9% | +217.1% | +7282.4% | +879.0% | +42.3% |
Quarterly solvency trend — watch for debt spikes or covenant pressure.
American Public Education, Inc.'s Debt/EBITDA ratio is 2.7x, down from 7.0x last quarter — at a moderate level that warrants monitoring. The current ratio has weakened 8.6% YoY to 2.98x, tightening the short-term liquidity position. Debt/Equity has declined for 4 consecutive quarters, reflecting a deleveraging trend.
| Metric | TTM | Q1 '26 | Q4 '25 | Q3 '25 | Q2 '25 | Q1 '25 | Q4 '24 | Q3 '24 | Q2 '24 | Q1 '24 | Q4 '23 | Q3 '23 | Q2 '23 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Debt / Equity | 0.55 | 0.23 | 0.55 | 0.60 | 0.72 | 0.64 | 0.66 | 0.70 | 0.71 | 0.71 | 0.70 | 0.73 | 0.73 |
| — | -64.2% | -16.3% | -15.0% | +1.0% | -9.4% | -5.8% | -4.3% | -2.9% | +15.7% | +17.4% | -19.7% | -19.9% | |
| Debt / EBITDA | 2.33 | 2.71 | 7.03 | 12.19 | 17.61 | 12.24 | 7.90 | 22.08 | 27.56 | 19.80 | 9.74 | 15.33 | — |
| — | -77.9% | -11.0% | -44.8% | -36.1% | -38.2% | -18.9% | +44.0% | — | -77.5% | -64.5% | -62.9% | — | |
| Current Ratio | 3.46 | 2.98 | 3.46 | 2.84 | 2.83 | 3.27 | 3.29 | 2.65 | 2.83 | 2.81 | 2.94 | 2.47 | 2.39 |
| — | -8.6% | +5.2% | +7.2% | +0.0% | +16.2% | +12.0% | +7.1% | +18.7% | +13.8% | +11.7% | +3.5% | -1.7% | |
| Quick Ratio | 3.46 | 2.98 | 3.46 | 2.84 | 2.83 | 3.27 | 3.29 | 2.65 | 2.83 | 2.81 | 2.94 | 2.47 | 2.39 |
| — | -8.6% | +5.2% | +7.2% | +0.0% | +16.2% | +12.0% | +7.1% | +18.7% | +13.8% | +11.7% | +3.5% | -1.7% | |
| Interest Coverage | 12.73 | 30.06 | 16.34 | 9.07 | 6.37 | 13.81 | 36.81 | 6.54 | 4.05 | 41.35 | 26.92 | 8.08 | -59.50 |
| — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Includes 30+ ratios · 48 years · Updated daily
DCF models, multiple analysis, and analyst estimates.
10-year return with dividends reinvested.
See how regular investing compounds over time.
Compare growth, multiples, and margins vs sector.
Quick answers to the most common questions about buying APEI stock.
American Public Education, Inc.'s current P/E is 38.8x. The average P/E over the last 3 quarters is 20.7x. Quarterly P/E ratios can vary due to seasonal revenue patterns and one-time charges.
American Public Education, Inc.'s current operating margin is 8.3%. Margins have been expanding over recent quarters. Quarterly margins are particularly useful for identifying trend inflections that annual data smooths over.
Quarterly financial ratios reveal short-term trend shifts — margin compression, debt spikes, or valuation re-ratings — that annual figures smooth over. They're essential for active investors tracking American Public Education, Inc.'s business trajectory between earnings reports.