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Side-by-side financial comparison of AMERICAN PUBLIC EDUCATION INC (APEI) and CASTLE BIOSCIENCES INC (CSTL). Click either name above to swap in a different company.

AMERICAN PUBLIC EDUCATION INC is the larger business by last-quarter revenue ($158.3M vs $87.0M, roughly 1.8× CASTLE BIOSCIENCES INC). On growth, CASTLE BIOSCIENCES INC posted the faster year-over-year revenue change (0.8% vs -3.5%). CASTLE BIOSCIENCES INC produced more free cash flow last quarter ($19.7M vs $-15.6M). Over the past eight quarters, CASTLE BIOSCIENCES INC's revenue compounded faster (9.2% CAGR vs 1.3%).

Strategic Education, Inc. (SEI) is an education services holding company and is formerly known as Strayer Education, Inc. The company owns for-profit, online Capella University and Strayer University, as well as non-degree programs schools such as DevMountain, Hackbright Academy, and Sophia Learning.

Castle Biosciences Inc. is a commercial-stage diagnostic firm that develops and markets proprietary, clinically actionable tests for dermatological conditions such as melanoma and other skin cancers, plus rare diseases. It operates mainly in the U.S. healthcare market, focusing on segments with high unmet need for more accurate diagnostics to guide treatment choices.

APEI vs CSTL — Head-to-Head

Bigger by revenue
APEI
APEI
1.8× larger
APEI
$158.3M
$87.0M
CSTL
Growing faster (revenue YoY)
CSTL
CSTL
+4.3% gap
CSTL
0.8%
-3.5%
APEI
More free cash flow
CSTL
CSTL
$35.4M more FCF
CSTL
$19.7M
$-15.6M
APEI
Faster 2-yr revenue CAGR
CSTL
CSTL
Annualised
CSTL
9.2%
1.3%
APEI

Income Statement — Q4 FY2025 vs Q4 FY2025

Metric
APEI
APEI
CSTL
CSTL
Revenue
$158.3M
$87.0M
Net Profit
$12.6M
Gross Margin
56.4%
79.0%
Operating Margin
12.0%
-4.4%
Net Margin
8.0%
Revenue YoY
-3.5%
0.8%
Net Profit YoY
-2.7%
EPS (diluted)
$0.67
$-0.06

Green = leading value per metric. Periods may differ when fiscal calendars don't align.

8-Quarter Revenue & Profit Trend

Side-by-side quarterly history. Quarters aligned by calendar period so offset fiscal years line up.

Revenue
APEI
APEI
CSTL
CSTL
Q4 25
$158.3M
$87.0M
Q3 25
$163.2M
$83.0M
Q2 25
$162.8M
$86.2M
Q1 25
$164.6M
$88.0M
Q4 24
$164.1M
$86.3M
Q3 24
$153.1M
$85.8M
Q2 24
$152.9M
$87.0M
Q1 24
$154.4M
$73.0M
Net Profit
APEI
APEI
CSTL
CSTL
Q4 25
$12.6M
Q3 25
$5.6M
$-501.0K
Q2 25
$4.5M
$4.5M
Q1 25
$8.9M
$-25.8M
Q4 24
$13.0M
Q3 24
$2.3M
$2.3M
Q2 24
$371.0K
$8.9M
Q1 24
$516.0K
$-2.5M
Gross Margin
APEI
APEI
CSTL
CSTL
Q4 25
56.4%
79.0%
Q3 25
54.2%
77.5%
Q2 25
51.8%
79.5%
Q1 25
54.5%
81.4%
Q4 24
56.3%
81.3%
Q3 24
50.8%
81.8%
Q2 24
50.2%
83.3%
Q1 24
53.1%
81.0%
Operating Margin
APEI
APEI
CSTL
CSTL
Q4 25
12.0%
-4.4%
Q3 25
5.9%
-8.2%
Q2 25
4.3%
-4.9%
Q1 25
7.4%
-31.7%
Q4 24
13.1%
4.7%
Q3 24
2.7%
5.9%
Q2 24
1.5%
5.8%
Q1 24
3.4%
-7.5%
Net Margin
APEI
APEI
CSTL
CSTL
Q4 25
8.0%
Q3 25
3.4%
-0.6%
Q2 25
2.8%
5.2%
Q1 25
5.4%
-29.4%
Q4 24
7.9%
Q3 24
1.5%
2.6%
Q2 24
0.2%
10.3%
Q1 24
0.3%
-3.5%
EPS (diluted)
APEI
APEI
CSTL
CSTL
Q4 25
$0.67
$-0.06
Q3 25
$0.30
$-0.02
Q2 25
$-0.02
$0.15
Q1 25
$0.41
$-0.90
Q4 24
$0.63
$0.32
Q3 24
$0.04
$0.08
Q2 24
$-0.06
$0.31
Q1 24
$-0.06
$-0.09

Balance Sheet & Financial Strength

Snapshot of each company's liquidity, leverage and book value from the latest quarter.

Metric
APEI
APEI
CSTL
CSTL
Cash + ST InvestmentsLiquidity on hand
$174.1M
$299.5M
Total DebtLower is stronger
$94.7M
$10.1M
Stockholders' EquityBook value
$294.8M
$470.9M
Total Assets
$521.4M
$578.6M
Debt / EquityLower = less leverage
0.32×
0.02×

8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.

Cash + ST Investments
APEI
APEI
CSTL
CSTL
Q4 25
$174.1M
$299.5M
Q3 25
$191.3M
$287.5M
Q2 25
$174.9M
$275.9M
Q1 25
$161.6M
$275.2M
Q4 24
$131.9M
$293.1M
Q3 24
$135.4M
$95.0M
Q2 24
$129.8M
$85.6M
Q1 24
$125.3M
$82.9M
Total Debt
APEI
APEI
CSTL
CSTL
Q4 25
$94.7M
$10.1M
Q3 25
$94.4M
$10.0M
Q2 25
$94.1M
$10.0M
Q1 25
$93.7M
$10.0M
Q4 24
$93.4M
$10.0M
Q3 24
$93.1M
$10.0M
Q2 24
$92.8M
$10.0M
Q1 24
$95.0M
$10.0M
Stockholders' Equity
APEI
APEI
CSTL
CSTL
Q4 25
$294.8M
$470.9M
Q3 25
$279.3M
$467.0M
Q2 25
$272.2M
$455.4M
Q1 25
$310.0M
$440.3M
Q4 24
$303.9M
$455.8M
Q3 24
$290.4M
$441.1M
Q2 24
$288.7M
$423.9M
Q1 24
$288.5M
$402.5M
Total Assets
APEI
APEI
CSTL
CSTL
Q4 25
$521.4M
$578.6M
Q3 25
$525.3M
$562.8M
Q2 25
$537.4M
$544.7M
Q1 25
$578.7M
$501.7M
Q4 24
$570.1M
$531.2M
Q3 24
$569.6M
$514.6M
Q2 24
$560.7M
$487.3M
Q1 24
$559.0M
$458.5M
Debt / Equity
APEI
APEI
CSTL
CSTL
Q4 25
0.32×
0.02×
Q3 25
0.34×
0.02×
Q2 25
0.35×
0.02×
Q1 25
0.30×
0.02×
Q4 24
0.31×
0.02×
Q3 24
0.32×
0.02×
Q2 24
0.32×
0.02×
Q1 24
0.33×
0.02×

Cash Flow & Capital Efficiency

How much cash each business actually produces after reinvestment. Cash flow is harder to manipulate than net income.

Metric
APEI
APEI
CSTL
CSTL
Operating Cash FlowLast quarter
$-11.6M
$26.9M
Free Cash FlowOCF − Capex
$-15.6M
$19.7M
FCF MarginFCF / Revenue
-9.9%
22.7%
Capex IntensityCapex / Revenue
2.6%
8.3%
Cash ConversionOCF / Net Profit
-0.92×
TTM Free Cash FlowTrailing 4 quarters
$46.1M
$28.3M

8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.

Operating Cash Flow
APEI
APEI
CSTL
CSTL
Q4 25
$-11.6M
$26.9M
Q3 25
$21.7M
$22.6M
Q2 25
$14.8M
$20.8M
Q1 25
$37.0M
$-6.0M
Q4 24
$1.6M
$24.4M
Q3 24
$14.1M
$23.3M
Q2 24
$12.5M
$24.0M
Q1 24
$20.7M
$-6.8M
Free Cash Flow
APEI
APEI
CSTL
CSTL
Q4 25
$-15.6M
$19.7M
Q3 25
$17.5M
$7.8M
Q2 25
$11.1M
$11.6M
Q1 25
$33.1M
$-10.8M
Q4 24
$-1.8M
$16.8M
Q3 24
$7.8M
$17.0M
Q2 24
$7.3M
$18.8M
Q1 24
$14.5M
$-16.0M
FCF Margin
APEI
APEI
CSTL
CSTL
Q4 25
-9.9%
22.7%
Q3 25
10.7%
9.4%
Q2 25
6.8%
13.4%
Q1 25
20.1%
-12.2%
Q4 24
-1.1%
19.5%
Q3 24
5.1%
19.8%
Q2 24
4.7%
21.6%
Q1 24
9.4%
-21.9%
Capex Intensity
APEI
APEI
CSTL
CSTL
Q4 25
2.6%
8.3%
Q3 25
2.6%
17.9%
Q2 25
2.3%
10.7%
Q1 25
2.4%
5.4%
Q4 24
2.0%
8.8%
Q3 24
4.1%
7.4%
Q2 24
3.4%
6.0%
Q1 24
4.0%
12.5%
Cash Conversion
APEI
APEI
CSTL
CSTL
Q4 25
-0.92×
Q3 25
3.90×
Q2 25
3.29×
4.60×
Q1 25
4.16×
Q4 24
0.12×
Q3 24
6.22×
10.29×
Q2 24
33.57×
2.69×
Q1 24
40.20×

Financial Flow Comparison

Revenue → gross profit → operating profit → net profit for each company.

Revenue Breakdown by Segment

APEI
APEI

American Public Education Inc Segment$71.0M45%
Rasmussen University Segment$66.6M42%
Hondros College Of Nursing Segment$20.7M13%

CSTL
CSTL

Dermatologic$48.6M56%
Non Dermatologic$38.4M44%

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