Beta is the sensitivity of the expected excess asset returns to the expected excess market returns. As of today (2026-06-25), American Public Education's Beta is 1.7582.
American Public Education (NAS:APEI) Beta Explanation
Beta is a measure of the volatility, or systematic risk, of a security or a portfolio in comparison to the market as a whole. We usually compare beta to 1. A beta of 1 indicates that the security's price will move with the market. A beta of less than 1 means that the security will be less volatile than the market. A beta of greater than 1 indicates that the security's price will be more volatile than the market.
Beta is primarily used in the Capital Asset Pricing Model (CAPM) to calculate the Cost of Equity, which can be used in the calculation of WACC %. The formula of Cost of Equity is:
Cost of Equity = Risk-Free Rate of Return + Beta of Asset * (Expected Return of the Market - Risk-Free Rate of Return)
* For Operating Data section: All numbers are indicated by the unit behind each term and all currency related amount are in USD. * For other sections: All numbers are in millions except for per share data, ratio, and percentage. All currency related amount are indicated in the company's associated stock exchange currency.
For the Education & Training Services subindustry, American Public Education's Beta, along with its competitors' market caps and Beta data, can be viewed below:
* Competitive companies are chosen from companies within the same industry, with headquarter located in same country, with closest market capitalization; x-axis shows the market cap, and y-axis shows the term value; the bigger the dot, the larger the market cap. Note that "N/A" values will not show up in the chart.
American Public Education Beta vs Education Industry
For the Education industry and Consumer Defensive sector, American Public Education's Beta distribution charts can be found below:
* The bar in red indicates where American Public Education's Beta falls into.
Beta is the sensitivity of the expected excess asset returns to the expected excess market returns. A stock's beta can be calculated by dividing the product of the covariance of the individual stock's returns and the market's returns by the variance of the market's returns over a specified period. Basically, GuruFocus uses the returns calculated over three-year period.
American Public Education (APEI) has a Beta of 1.7582 as of Jun. 25, 2026. Beta is the sensitivity of the expected excess asset returns to the expected excess market returns. View historical data for American Public Education and its competitors.
Is American Public Education's Beta too high?
American Public Education's current Beta is 1.7582. Overall, American Public Education has a GF Score™ of 69/100 and is considered Significantly Overvalued, reflecting its overall financial health beyond just this single metric.
How does American Public Education's Beta compare to PXED and AFYA?
American Public Education's Beta of 1.7582 can be compared against companies in the Education industry. See the competitive comparison table and distribution chart on this page for a detailed peer-by-peer breakdown.
What is a good Beta for an Education company?
A good Beta depends on the Education industry context. However, Beta should not be evaluated in isolation — investors should consider it alongside profitability, growth, and financial strength metrics. Use the industry distribution chart on this page to see where any company falls relative to its peers.
What does a high Beta mean?
A high Beta can signal that a stock is expensive relative to its fundamentals. Beta is the sensitivity of the expected excess asset returns to the expected excess market returns. View historical data for American Public Education and its competitors. American Public Education's current Beta is 1.7582. However, context matters — high-growth companies often justify higher valuations. Always evaluate alongside other metrics like GF Score™ and GF Value™.
Is American Public Education stock overvalued right now?
Based on GuruFocus' analysis, American Public Education (APEI) is currently considered Significantly Overvalued. The stock's GF Value™ is $20.36, compared to a current price of $52.18 — trading 156.3% above its estimated fair value. The current Beta is 1.7582. American Public Education's overall GF Score™ is 69/100 with 3 warning signs to review. Investors should evaluate multiple metrics — including profitability, growth, and financial strength — before making a decision.
How is Beta calculated?
Beta is calculated from a company's financial statements. For American Public Education (APEI), the current Beta is 1.7582 as of Jun. 25, 2026. GuruFocus calculates this using data sourced from SEC filings and annual reports. See the calculation section and 30-year financial data on this page for the full breakdown.
Is American Public Education (APEI) Overvalued in 2026?
Based on GuruFocus' analysis, American Public Education stock appears to be overvalued.
The current stock price of $52.18 is trading 156.3% above its estimated GF Value™ of $20.36.
GuruFocus considers American Public Education to be Significantly Overvalued.
Key valuation signals for APEI:
Beta: 1.7582
GF Value™: $20.36 vs. price of $52.18 (156.3% above fair value)
No single metric tells the full story. See the APEI stock analysis page for a complete view including 30-year financials, guru trades, and insider activity.
American Public Education Inc provides online and campus based postsecondary education including various undergraduate and graduate degree programs. The fields of study include business administration, health science, technology, criminal justice, education, liberal arts, national security, military studies, intelligence, and homeland security. There are three reporting segments: the American Public University segment which is the key revenue generator, provides online postsecondary education as a distance-learning, graduate-level institution for military officers seeking a degree in military studies; the Rasmussen University Segment and the Hondros College of Nursing segment. The revenue is generated from net course registrations and enrollment, tuition rate, net tuition, and other fees.
69GF Score
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