American Public EducationAPEI +0.71%69 Interest Coverage is 30.06 as of Mar. 2026, which is 94% above its 10-year median of 15.48. 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 197 Education companies, American Public Education ranks better than 53.3% on this metric.
Interest Coverage is a ratio that determines how easily a company can pay interest expenses on outstanding debt. It is calculated by dividing a company's
Operating Income
by its Interest Expense. American Public Education's
Operating Income
for the
three
months ended in Mar. 2026 was $21.8 Mil. American Public Education's Interest Expense for the
three
months ended in Mar. 2026 was $-0.7 Mil.
American Public Education's interest coverage for the quarter that ended in Mar. 2026 was 30.06.
The higher the ratio, the stronger the company's financial strength is.
The historical rank and industry rank for American Public Education's Interest Coverage or its related term are showing as below:
APEI'
s Interest Coverage Range Over the Past 10 Years
Min: 0.61 Med: 15.48 Max: No Debt
Current: 15.16
APEI's Interest Coverage is ranked better than 53.3% of 197
companies
in the Education industry
Industry Median: 12.93
vs APEI: 15.16
American Public Education (NAS:APEI) Interest Coverage Explanation
Ben Graham requires that a company has a minimum interest coverage of 5 with the companies he invested. If the interest coverage is less than 2, the company is burdened by debt. Any business slow or recession may drag the company into a situation where it cannot pay the interest on its debt.
Interest Coverage is an important factor when GuruFocus ranks a company's overage Financial Strength .
American Public Education Interest Coverage Related Terms
American Public Education Interest Coverage 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.
Note: For Interest Coverage, "No debt" indicates no long-term debt. An indication of "No Debt" does not necessarily mean that the company has no long-term debt obligations; it could be due to missing data in the quarterly or annual report. Use caution when interpreting this information.
APEI vs PXED, AFYA, KLC: Interest Coverage Comparison
For the Education & Training Services subindustry, American Public Education's Interest Coverage, along with its competitors' market caps and Interest Coverage 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 Interest Coverage vs Education Industry
For the Education industry and Consumer Defensive sector, American Public Education's Interest Coverage distribution charts can be found below:
* The bar in red indicates where American Public Education's Interest Coverage falls into.
American Public Education Interest Coverage Calculation
Interest Coverage is a ratio that determines how easily a company can pay interest expenses on outstanding debt. It is calculated by dividing a company's Operating Income (EBIT) by its Interest Expense:
* 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.
American Public Education (APEI) has a Interest Coverage of 30.06 as of Mar. 2026. Interest Coverage measures a company's capability to pay interest expenses on its debt. View historical data on American Public Education and its competitors. This is 94% above median its historical median of 15.48. Over the past decade, American Public Education's Interest Coverage has ranged from 0.61 to 10,000.00. According to the industry distribution chart, American Public Education ranks #92 out of 197 companies in the Education industry, placing it in the top 46.7%.
Is American Public Education's Interest Coverage too high?
American Public Education's current Interest Coverage of 30.06 is 94% above median its 10-year median of 15.48. Over the past 10 years, this metric has ranged from a low of 0.61 to a high of 10,000.00. The Education industry median Interest Coverage is 12.93. American Public Education's value of 30.06 is 132.5% above this industry median. Based on the distribution chart, American Public Education ranks #92 out of 197 companies in the Education industry, which is above the industry midpoint. 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 Interest Coverage compare to PXED and AFYA?
According to the Education industry distribution chart, American Public Education ranks #92 out of 197 companies for Interest Coverage. This puts American Public Education in the upper half of its industry. The industry median Interest Coverage is 12.93. American Public Education's value of 30.06 is 132.5% above this benchmark. Historically, American Public Education's own Interest Coverage has ranged from 0.61 to 10,000.00 over the past decade. While the company's 10-year median is 15.48 vs. the industry median of 12.93, 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 Interest Coverage for an Education company?
The median Interest Coverage among Education companies is 12.93, based on 197 companies in the industry. Companies in the top quartile (top 25%) have a Interest Coverage significantly above this median, while those in the bottom quartile fall well below. However, Interest Coverage should not be evaluated in isolation — investors should consider it alongside profitability, growth, and financial strength metrics. American Public Education's current Interest Coverage of 30.06 is 132.5% 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 Interest Coverage mean?
A high Interest Coverage can signal that a stock is expensive relative to its fundamentals. Interest Coverage measures a company's capability to pay interest expenses on its debt. View historical data on American Public Education and its competitors. For the Education industry, the median Interest Coverage is 12.93 — values significantly above this may indicate overvaluation, while values below may suggest a bargain or underlying issues. American Public Education's current Interest Coverage is 30.06, which is 94% above median its own 10-year median of 15.48. 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 Interest Coverage is 30.06, which is 94% above median its 10-year median of 15.48 and 132.5% above the Education industry median of 12.93. 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 Interest Coverage calculated?
Interest Coverage is calculated from a company's financial statements. For American Public Education (APEI), the current Interest Coverage is 30.06 as of Mar. 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:
Interest Coverage: 30.06 (94% above median its 10-year median of 15.48)
GF Value™: $20.36 vs. price of $52.18 (156.3% above fair value)
Industry Position: 132.5% above the Education median (#92 of 197)
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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