American Public EducationAPEI +1.77%69 Altman Z-Score is 4.57 as of Jun. 26, 2026, which is 17% below its 10-year median of 5.51. 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 252 Education companies, American Public Education ranks better than 71.43% on this metric.
The Altman Z-Score is a model designed to predict the likelihood of a company going bankrupt within the next two years. Created by American finance professor Edward Altman in 1968, the model is specifically designed for publicly traded manufacturing companies with assets greater than $1 million.
Good Sign:
Altman Z-score of 4.53 is strong.
American Public Education has a Altman Z-Score of 4.57, indicating it is in Safe Zones. This implies the Altman Z-Score is strong.
The zones of discrimination were as such:
When Altman Z-Score <= 1.8, it is in Distress Zones.
When Altman Z-Score >= 3, it is in Safe Zones.
When Altman Z-Score is between 1.8 and 3, it is in Grey Zones.
The historical rank and industry rank for American Public Education's Altman Z-Score or its related term are showing as below:
APEI'
s Altman Z-Score Range Over the Past 10 Years
Min: 0.64 Med: 5.51 Max: 10.77
Current: 4.53
During the past 13 years, American Public Education's highest Altman Z-Score was 10.77. The lowest was 0.64. And the median was 5.51.
American Public Education (NAS:APEI) Altman Z-Score Explanation
X1: The Working Capital/Total Assets (WC/TA) ratio is a measure of the net liquid assets of the firm relative to the total capitalization. Working capital is defined as the difference between current assets and current liabilities. Ordinarily, a firm experiencing consistent operating losses will have shrinking current assets in relation to total assets. Altman found this one proved to be the most valuable liquidity ratio comparing with the current ratio and the quick ratio. This is however the least significant of the five factors.
X2: Retained Earnings/Total Assets: the RE/TA ratio measures the leverage of a firm. Retained earnings is the account which reports the total amount of reinvested earnings and/or losses of a firm over its entire life. Those firms with high RE, relative to TA, have financed their assets through retention of profits and have not utilized as much debt.
X3, Earnings Before Interest and Taxes/Total Assets (EBIT/TA): This ratio is a measure of the true productivity of the firm's assets, independent of any tax or leverage factors. Since a firm's ultimate existence is based on the earning power of its assets, this ratio appears to be particularly appropriate for studies dealing with corporate failure. This ratio continually outperforms other profitability measures, including cash flow.
X4, Market Value of Equity/Book Value of Total Liabilities (MVE/TL): The measure shows how much the firm's assets can decline in value (measured by market value of equity plus debt) before the liabilities exceed the assets and the firm becomes insolvent.
X5, Revenue/Total Assets (S/TA): The capital-turnover ratio is a standard financial ratio illustrating the sales generating ability of the firm's assets.
* 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: Altman Z-Score Comparison
For the Education & Training Services subindustry, American Public Education's Altman Z-Score, along with its competitors' market caps and Altman Z-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 Altman Z-Score vs Education Industry
For the Education industry and Consumer Defensive sector, American Public Education's Altman Z-Score distribution charts can be found below:
* The bar in red indicates where American Public Education's Altman Z-Score falls into.
American Public Education Altman Z-Score Calculation
Altman Z-Score model is an accurate forecaster of failure up to two years prior to distress. It can be considered the assessment of the distress of industrial corporations.
* 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. GuruFocus does not calculate Altman Z-Score when X4 or X5 value is 0.
American Public Education (APEI) has a Altman Z-Score of 4.57 as of Jun. 26, 2026. The Altman Z-score measures a company's bankruptcy risk. View historical data on American Public Education and its competitors. This is 17% below median its historical median of 5.51. Over the past decade, American Public Education's Altman Z-Score has ranged from 0.64 to 10.77. According to the industry distribution chart, American Public Education ranks #72 out of 252 companies in the Education industry, placing it in the top 28.6%.
Is American Public Education's Altman Z-Score too high?
American Public Education's current Altman Z-Score of 4.57 is 17% below median its 10-year median of 5.51. Over the past 10 years, this metric has ranged from a low of 0.64 to a high of 10.77. The Education industry median Altman Z-Score is 2.37. American Public Education's value of 4.57 is 93.2% above this industry median. Based on the distribution chart, American Public Education ranks #72 out of 252 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 Altman Z-Score compare to PXED and AFYA?
According to the Education industry distribution chart, American Public Education ranks #72 out of 252 companies for Altman Z-Score. This puts American Public Education in the upper half of its industry. The industry median Altman Z-Score is 2.37. American Public Education's value of 4.57 is 93.2% above this benchmark. Historically, American Public Education's own Altman Z-Score has ranged from 0.64 to 10.77 over the past decade. While the company's 10-year median is 5.51 vs. the industry median of 2.37, 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 Altman Z-Score for an Education company?
The median Altman Z-Score among Education companies is 2.37, based on 252 companies in the industry. Companies in the top quartile (top 25%) have a Altman Z-Score significantly above this median, while those in the bottom quartile fall well below. However, Altman Z-Score should not be evaluated in isolation — investors should consider it alongside profitability, growth, and financial strength metrics. American Public Education's current Altman Z-Score of 4.57 is 93.2% 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 Altman Z-Score mean?
A high Altman Z-Score can signal that a stock is expensive relative to its fundamentals. The Altman Z-score measures a company's bankruptcy risk. View historical data on American Public Education and its competitors. For the Education industry, the median Altman Z-Score is 2.37 — values significantly above this may indicate overvaluation, while values below may suggest a bargain or underlying issues. American Public Education's current Altman Z-Score is 4.57, which is 17% below median its own 10-year median of 5.51. 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 $54.51 — trading 167.7% above its estimated fair value. The current Altman Z-Score is 4.57, which is 17% below median its 10-year median of 5.51 and 93.2% above the Education industry median of 2.37. 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 Altman Z-Score calculated?
Altman Z-Score is calculated from a company's financial statements. For American Public Education (APEI), the current Altman Z-Score is 4.57 as of Jun. 26, 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 $54.51 is trading 167.7% above its estimated GF Value™ of $20.36.
GuruFocus considers American Public Education to be Significantly Overvalued.
Key valuation signals for APEI:
Altman Z-Score: 4.57 (17% below median its 10-year median of 5.51)
GF Value™: $20.36 vs. price of $54.51 (167.7% above fair value)
Industry Position: 93.2% above the Education median (#72 of 252)
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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