American Public EducationAPEI +0.71%69 Piotroski F-Score is 7 as of Jun. 25, 2026, which is 17% above its 10-year median of 6.00. GuruFocus rates APEI with a GF Score™ of 69/100 and a GF Value™ of $20.36 (Significantly Overvalued). The stock has 3 warning signs investors should review. Among 255 Education companies, American Public Education ranks better than 87.84% on this metric.
Good Sign:
Piotroski F-Score is 7, indicates a very healthy situation.
The zones of discrimination were as such:
Good or high score = 7, 8, 9
Bad or low score = 0, 1, 2, 3
American Public Education has an F-score of 7. It is a good or high score, which usually indicates a very healthy situation.
The historical rank and industry rank for American Public Education's Piotroski F-Score or its related term are showing as below:
APEI'
s Piotroski F-Score Range Over the Past 10 Years
Min: 3 Med: 6 Max: 8
Current: 7
During the past 13 years, the highest Piotroski F-Score of American Public Education was 8. The lowest was 3. And the median was 6.
American Public Education (NAS:APEI) Piotroski F-Score Explanation
The developer of the system is Joseph D. Piotroski is relatively unknown accounting professor who shuns publicity and rarely gives interviews.
He graduated from the University of Illinois with a B.S. in accounting in 1989, received an M.B.A. from Indiana University in 1994. Five years later, in 1999, after earning a Ph.D. in accounting from the University of Michigan, he became an associate professor of accounting at the University of Chicago.
He wanted to see if he can develop a system (using a simple nine-point scoring system) that can increase the returns of a strategy of investing in low price to book (referred to in the paper as high book to market) value companies.
What he found was something that exceeded his most optimistic expectations.
Buying only those companies that scored highest (8 or 9) on his nine-point scale, or F-Score as he called it, over the 20 year period from 1976 to 1996 led to an average out-performance over the market of 13.4%.
Even more impressive were the results of a strategy of investing in the highest F-Score companies (8 or 9) and shorting companies with the lowest F-Score (0 or 1).
Over the same period from 1976 to 1996 (20 years) this strategy led to an average yearly return of 23%, substantially outperforming the average S&P 500 index return of 15.83% over the same period.
American Public Education Piotroski F-Score Related Terms
American Public Education Piotroski F-Score Historical Data
* 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.
APEI vs PXED, AFYA, KLC: Piotroski F-Score Comparison
For the Education & Training Services subindustry, American Public Education's Piotroski F-Score, along with its competitors' market caps and Piotroski F-Score 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 Piotroski F-Score vs Education Industry
For the Education industry and Consumer Defensive sector, American Public Education's Piotroski F-Score distribution charts can be found below:
* The bar in red indicates where American Public Education's Piotroski F-Score falls into.
* 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.
*Note: If the latest quarterly/semi-annual/annual total assets data is 0, then we will use previous quarterly/semi-annual/annual data for all the items in the balance sheet.
Profitability
Question 1. Return on Assets (ROA)
Net income before extraordinary items for the year divided by Total Assets at the beginning of the year.
Score 1 if positive, 0 if negative.
American Public Education's current Net Income (TTM) was 40.4.
==> Positive ==> Score 1.
Question 2. Cash Flow Return on Assets (CFROA)
Net cash flow from operating activities (operating cash flow) divided by Total Assets at the beginning of the year.
Score 1 if positive, 0 if negative.
American Public Education's current Cash Flow from Operations (TTM) was 88.3.
==> Positive ==> Score 1.
Question 3. Change in Return on Assets
Compare this year's return on assets (1) to last year's return on assets.
American Public Education's return on assets of this year was 0.06980771. American Public Education's return on assets of last year was 0.04381194.
==> This year is higher. ==> Score 1.
Question 4. Quality of Earnings (Accrual)
Compare Cash flow return on assets (2) to return on assets (1)
American Public Education's gearing of this year was 0.25403624. American Public Education's gearing of last year was 0.32631381.
==> This year is lower or equal to last year. ==> Score 1.
Question 6. Change in Working Capital (Liquidity)
Compare this year's current ratio (current assets divided by current liabilities) to last year's current ratio.
Score 1 if this year's current ratio is higher, 0 if it's lower
American Public Education's current ratio of this year was 2.98433401. American Public Education's current ratio of last year was 3.26626793.
==> Last year's current ratio is higher ==> Score 0.
Question 7. Change in Shares in Issue
Compare the number of shares in issue this year, to the number in issue last year.
Score 0 if there is larger number of shares in issue this year, 1 otherwise.
American Public Education's number of shares in issue this year was 18.804. American Public Education's number of shares in issue last year was 18.417.
==> There is larger number of shares in issue this year. ==> Score 0.
Efficiency
Question 8. Change in Gross Margin
Compare this year's gross margin (Gross Profit divided by sales) to last year's.
Score 1 if this year's gross margin is higher, 0 if it's lower.
American Public Education's gross margin of this year was 0.54979675. American Public Education's gross margin of last year was 0.53012079.
==> This year's gross margin is higher. ==> Score 1.
Question 9. Change in asset turnover
Compare this year's asset turnover (total sales for the year divided by total assets at the beginning of the year) to last year's asset turnover ratio.
Score 1 if this year's asset turnover ratio is higher, 0 if it's lower
American Public Education's asset turnover of this year was 1.13892072. American Public Education's asset turnover of last year was 1.13542166.
==> This year's asset turnover is higher. ==> Score 1.
Evaluation
Piotroski F-Score
=
Que. 1
+
Que. 2
+
Que. 3
+
Que. 4
+
Que. 5
+
Que. 6
+
Que. 7
+
Que. 8
+
Que. 9
=
1
+
1
+
1
+
1
+
1
+
0
+
0
+
1
+
1
=
7
Good or high score = 7, 8, 9
Bad or low score = 0, 1, 2, 3
American Public Education has an F-score of 7. It is a good or high score, which usually indicates a very healthy situation.
American Public Education (APEI) has a Piotroski F-Score of 7 as of Jun. 25, 2026. The Piotroski F-score grades a company's business operating strength from 0-9. View historical data on American Public Education and its competitors. This is 17% above median its historical median of 6.00. Over the past decade, American Public Education's Piotroski F-Score has ranged from 3.00 to 8.00. According to the industry distribution chart, American Public Education ranks #31 out of 255 companies in the Education industry, placing it in the top 12.2%.
Is American Public Education's Piotroski F-Score too high?
American Public Education's current Piotroski F-Score of 7 is 17% above median its 10-year median of 6.00. Over the past 10 years, this metric has ranged from a low of 3.00 to a high of 8.00. The Education industry median Piotroski F-Score is 5.00. American Public Education's value of 7 is 40% above this industry median. Based on the distribution chart, American Public Education ranks #31 out of 255 companies in the Education industry, which is in the top quartile — a strong position relative to peers. 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 Piotroski F-Score compare to PXED and AFYA?
According to the Education industry distribution chart, American Public Education ranks #31 out of 255 companies for Piotroski F-Score. This places American Public Education in the top 12% of its industry — outperforming the majority of peers. The industry median Piotroski F-Score is 5.00. American Public Education's value of 7 is 40% above this benchmark. Historically, American Public Education's own Piotroski F-Score has ranged from 3.00 to 8.00 over the past decade. While the company's 10-year median is 6.00 vs. the industry median of 5.00, American Public Education has consistently been above the industry average. See the competitive comparison table and distribution chart on this page for a detailed peer-by-peer breakdown.
What is a good Piotroski F-Score for an Education company?
The median Piotroski F-Score among Education companies is 5.00, based on 255 companies in the industry. Companies in the top quartile (top 25%) have a Piotroski F-Score significantly above this median, while those in the bottom quartile fall well below. However, Piotroski F-Score should not be evaluated in isolation — investors should consider it alongside profitability, growth, and financial strength metrics. American Public Education's current Piotroski F-Score of 7 is 40% above the industry median. Use the industry distribution chart on this page to see where any company falls relative to its peers.
What does a high Piotroski F-Score mean?
A high Piotroski F-Score can signal that a stock is expensive relative to its fundamentals. The Piotroski F-score grades a company's business operating strength from 0-9. View historical data on American Public Education and its competitors. For the Education industry, the median Piotroski F-Score is 5.00 — values significantly above this may indicate overvaluation, while values below may suggest a bargain or underlying issues. American Public Education's current Piotroski F-Score is 7, which is 17% above median its own 10-year median of 6.00. 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 Piotroski F-Score is 7, which is 17% above median its 10-year median of 6.00 and 40% above the Education industry median of 5.00. 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 Piotroski F-Score calculated?
Piotroski F-Score is calculated from a company's financial statements. For American Public Education (APEI), the current Piotroski F-Score is 7 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:
Piotroski F-Score: 7 (17% above median its 10-year median of 6.00)
GF Value™: $20.36 vs. price of $52.18 (156.3% above fair value)
Industry Position: 40% above the Education median (#31 of 255)
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
Get the complete analysis for APEI
Piotroski F-Score is just one metric. See GF Value™, 30-year financials, guru trades, warning signs, and more.
Quick Browse
Personalize
Premium Gurus 
Create New Portfolio
APEI has been successfully added to your 
