PRDO vs. APEI

Last updated Jun 3, 2026

PRDO (Perdoceo Education Corporation) and APEI (American Public Education, Inc.) are both stocks. Both operate in the Education & Training Services industry within the Consumer Defensive sector. Over the past 10 years, PRDO returned 19.96%/yr vs 6.44%/yr for APEI. At a 0.45 correlation, their price movements are largely independent.

Performance

PRDO vs. APEI - Performance Comparison

The chart below illustrates the hypothetical performance of a $10,000 investment in Perdoceo Education Corporation (PRDO) and American Public Education, Inc. (APEI). The values are adjusted to include any dividend payments, if applicable.

Returns By Period

In the year-to-date period, PRDO achieves a 14.44% return, which is significantly lower than APEI's 38.31% return. Over the past 10 years, PRDO has outperformed APEI with an annualized return of 19.96%, while APEI has yielded a comparatively lower 6.44% annualized return.

PRDO

• 1D: 1.22%
• 1M: -0.67%
• YTD: 14.44%
• 6M: 17.36%
• 1Y: -0.58%
• 3Y*: 41.66%
• 5Y*: 23.48%
• 10Y*: 19.96%

APEI

• 1D: 1.89%
• 1M: -10.20%
• YTD: 38.31%
• 6M: 47.93%
• 1Y: 78.80%
• 3Y*: 118.96%
• 5Y*: 12.77%
• 10Y*: 6.44%

*Multi-year figures are annualized to reflect compound growth (CAGR)

PRDO vs. APEI - Yearly Performance Comparison

	2026 (YTD)	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017
PRDO Perdoceo Education Corporation	14.44%	12.94%	54.04%	27.99%	18.20%	-6.89%	-31.32%	61.03%	-5.46%	19.72%
APEI American Public Education, Inc.	38.31%	75.24%	123.52%	-21.48%	-44.76%	-27.00%	11.28%	-3.76%	13.61%	2.04%

Correlation

The correlation between PRDO and APEI is 0.60, which is moderate. They share some common price drivers but move independently often enough to provide real diversification benefit when combined.

	Correlation
Correlation (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	0.60
Correlation (3Y) Calculated over the trailing 3-year period	0.45
Correlation (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period	0.46
Correlation (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period	0.47
Correlation (All Time) Calculated using the full available price history since Nov 12, 2007	0.45

The correlation between PRDO and APEI shifts across timeframes, from 0.45 (all time) to 0.60 (1 year), reflecting how their relationship changes across market environments.

Fundamentals

Market Cap PRDO : $2.11B APEI : $983.07M
EPS PRDO : $2.61 APEI : $2.18
PE Ratio PRDO : 12.77 APEI : 24.02
PEG Ratio PRDO : 0.87 APEI : 0.52
PS Ratio PRDO : 2.54 APEI : 1.47
PB Ratio PRDO : 2.11 APEI : 3.21
Total Revenue (TTM) PRDO : $854.84M APEI : $659.05M
Gross Profit (TTM) PRDO : $442.47M APEI : $258.11M
EBITDA (TTM) PRDO : $269.29M APEI : $70.64M

Return for Risk

PRDO vs. APEI — Risk / Return Rank

Compare risk-adjusted metric ranks to identify better-performing investments over the past 12 months.

PRDO

PRDO Risk / Return Rank: 37
PRDO Sharpe Ratio Rank: 40
PRDO Sortino Ratio Rank: 34
PRDO Omega Ratio Rank: 34
PRDO Calmar Ratio Rank: 39
PRDO Martin Ratio Rank: 38

APEI

APEI Risk / Return Rank: 85
APEI Sharpe Ratio Rank: 86
APEI Sortino Ratio Rank: 84
APEI Omega Ratio Rank: 82
APEI Calmar Ratio Rank: 85
APEI Martin Ratio Rank: 88

The rank (0–100) shows how this investment's returns compare to the risk taken. Higher = better. Based on the past 12 months of data, combining Sharpe, Sortino, and other metrics used by quantitative funds and institutional investors.

PRDO vs. APEI - Risk-Adjusted Trends Comparison

This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for Perdoceo Education Corporation (PRDO) and American Public Education, Inc. (APEI). Risk-adjusted metrics are performance indicators that assess an investment's returns in relation to its risk, enabling a more accurate comparison of different investment options.

	PRDO	APEI	Difference
Sharpe ratio Return per unit of total volatility	-0.02	1.86	-1.88
Sortino ratio Return per unit of downside risk	0.18	2.65	-2.47
Omega ratio Gain probability vs. loss probability	1.02	1.33	-0.31
Calmar ratio Return relative to maximum drawdown	-0.01	3.48	-3.49
Martin ratio Return relative to average drawdown	-0.03	10.74	-10.77
Data is calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. The trend shows the change in the indicator over the past month.

PRDO vs. APEI - Sharpe Ratio Comparison

The current PRDO Sharpe Ratio is -0.02, which is lower than the APEI Sharpe Ratio of 1.86. The chart below compares the historical Sharpe Ratios of PRDO and APEI, calculated using daily returns over the previous 12 months. A higher Sharpe Ratio indicates better risk-adjusted performance relative to the risk-free rate.

Sharpe Ratios by Period

	PRDO	APEI	Difference
Sharpe Ratio (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	-0.02	1.86	-1.88
Sharpe Ratio (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period	0.67	0.20	+0.47
Sharpe Ratio (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period	0.53	0.11	+0.42
Sharpe Ratio (All Time) Calculated using the full available price history	0.19	0.04	+0.15

Drawdowns

PRDO vs. APEI - Drawdown Comparison

The maximum PRDO drawdown since its inception was -97.10%, which is greater than APEI's maximum drawdown of -92.17%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for PRDO and APEI.

Drawdown Indicators

	PRDO	APEI	Difference
Max Drawdown Largest peak-to-trough decline	-97.10%	-92.17%	-4.93%
Max Drawdown (1Y) Largest decline over 1 year	-27.22%	-22.30%	-4.92%
Max Drawdown (3Y) Largest decline over 3 years	-27.22%	-40.52%	+13.30%
Max Drawdown (5Y) Largest decline over 5 years	-27.42%	-87.00%	+59.58%
Max Drawdown (10Y) Largest decline over 10 years	-64.27%	-91.44%	+27.17%
Current Drawdown Current decline from peak	-49.87%	-14.10%	-35.77%
Average Drawdown Average peak-to-trough decline	-60.39%	-40.52%	-19.87%
Ulcer Index Depth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks	12.65%	7.22%	+5.43%

Volatility

PRDO vs. APEI - Volatility Comparison

The current volatility for Perdoceo Education Corporation (PRDO) is 8.41%, while American Public Education, Inc. (APEI) has a volatility of 11.48%. This indicates that PRDO experiences smaller price fluctuations and is considered to be less risky than APEI based on this measure. The chart below showcases a comparison of their rolling one-month volatility.

Volatility by Period

	PRDO	APEI	Difference
Volatility (1M) Calculated over the trailing 1-month period	8.41%	11.48%	-3.07%
Volatility (6M) Calculated over the trailing 6-month period	20.88%	30.18%	-9.30%
Volatility (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	30.51%	42.53%	-12.02%
Volatility (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period, annualized	35.13%	64.25%	-29.12%
Volatility (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period, annualized	38.13%	58.98%	-20.85%

Dividends

PRDO vs. APEI - Dividend Comparison

PRDO's dividend yield for the trailing twelve months is around 1.80%, while APEI has not paid dividends to shareholders.

Position	TTM	2025	2024	2023
APEI American Public Education, Inc.	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%
PRDO Perdoceo Education Corporation	1.80%	1.91%	1.81%	1.25%

Financials

PRDO vs. APEI - Profitability Comparison

The chart below illustrates the profitability comparison between Perdoceo Education Corporation and American Public Education, Inc. over time, highlighting three key metrics: Gross Profit Margin, Operating Margin, and Net Profit Margin.

PRDO - Gross Margin

Gross margin is calculated as gross profit divided by revenue. For the three months ending on Jun 2026, Perdoceo Education Corporation reported a gross profit of 0.00 and revenue of 221.74M. Therefore, the gross margin over that period was 0.0%.

APEI - Gross Margin

Gross margin is calculated as gross profit divided by revenue. For the three months ending on Jun 2026, American Public Education, Inc. reported a gross profit of 0.00 and revenue of 174.74M. Therefore, the gross margin over that period was 0.0%.

PRDO - Operating Margin

Operating margin is calculated as operating income divided by revenue. For the three months ending on Jun 2026, Perdoceo Education Corporation reported an operating income of 63.12M and revenue of 221.74M, resulting in an operating margin of 28.5%.

APEI - Operating Margin

Operating margin is calculated as operating income divided by revenue. For the three months ending on Jun 2026, American Public Education, Inc. reported an operating income of 0.00 and revenue of 174.74M, resulting in an operating margin of 0.0%.

PRDO - Net Margin

Net margin is calculated as net income divided by revenue. For the three months ending on Jun 2026, Perdoceo Education Corporation reported a net income of 53.95M and revenue of 221.74M, resulting in a net margin of 24.3%.

APEI - Net Margin

Net margin is calculated as net income divided by revenue. For the three months ending on Jun 2026, American Public Education, Inc. reported a net income of 17.73M and revenue of 174.74M, resulting in a net margin of 10.2%.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I hold both PRDO and APEI in my portfolio?

PRDO and APEI have a correlation of 0.60, meaning they provide meaningful diversification benefit when combined. Depending on your allocation goals, holding both could reduce overall portfolio risk.

Which is riskier, PRDO or APEI?

APEI has higher volatility (11.48%) compared to PRDO (8.41%). In terms of maximum drawdown, PRDO dropped -97.10% vs APEI's -92.17%.

Which has better risk-adjusted returns?

APEI currently has the higher Sharpe Ratio (1.86 vs -0.02), meaning it's delivered slightly more return per unit of risk over the trailing 12 months. However, this ranking shifts over time - use the Risk/Return Score above for a more comprehensive view that combines Sharpe, Sortino, and other measures used by quantitative funds.