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Side-by-side financial comparison of AMERICAN PUBLIC EDUCATION INC (APEI) and LEE ENTERPRISES, Inc (LEE). 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 $130.1M, roughly 1.2× LEE ENTERPRISES, Inc). AMERICAN PUBLIC EDUCATION INC runs the higher net margin — 8.0% vs -4.3%, a 12.3% gap on every dollar of revenue. On growth, AMERICAN PUBLIC EDUCATION INC posted the faster year-over-year revenue change (-3.5% vs -10.0%). LEE ENTERPRISES, Inc produced more free cash flow last quarter ($3.7M vs $-15.6M). Over the past eight quarters, AMERICAN PUBLIC EDUCATION INC's revenue compounded faster (1.3% CAGR vs -5.8%).
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.
Lee Enterprises, Inc. is a publicly traded American media company. It publishes 72 daily newspapers in 25 states, and more than 350 weekly, classified, and specialty publications. Lee Enterprises was founded in 1890 by Alfred Wilson Lee and is based in Davenport, Iowa.
APEI vs LEE — Head-to-Head
Income Statement — Q4 FY2025 vs Q1 FY2026
| Metric | | |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue | $158.3M | $130.1M |
| Net Profit | $12.6M | $-5.6M |
| Gross Margin | 56.4% | — |
| Operating Margin | 12.0% | 4.0% |
| Net Margin | 8.0% | -4.3% |
| Revenue YoY | -3.5% | -10.0% |
| Net Profit YoY | -2.7% | 66.5% |
| EPS (diluted) | $0.67 | $-0.92 |
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.
| Q4 25 | $158.3M | $130.1M | ||
| Q3 25 | $163.2M | $139.1M | ||
| Q2 25 | $162.8M | $141.3M | ||
| Q1 25 | $164.6M | $137.4M | ||
| Q4 24 | $164.1M | $144.6M | ||
| Q3 24 | $153.1M | $158.6M | ||
| Q2 24 | $152.9M | $150.6M | ||
| Q1 24 | $154.4M | $146.6M |
| Q4 25 | $12.6M | $-5.6M | ||
| Q3 25 | $5.6M | $-6.4M | ||
| Q2 25 | $4.5M | $-1.9M | ||
| Q1 25 | $8.9M | $-12.5M | ||
| Q4 24 | $13.0M | $-16.7M | ||
| Q3 24 | $2.3M | $-10.1M | ||
| Q2 24 | $371.0K | $-4.3M | ||
| Q1 24 | $516.0K | $-12.2M |
| Q4 25 | 56.4% | — | ||
| Q3 25 | 54.2% | — | ||
| Q2 25 | 51.8% | — | ||
| Q1 25 | 54.5% | — | ||
| Q4 24 | 56.3% | — | ||
| Q3 24 | 50.8% | — | ||
| Q2 24 | 50.2% | — | ||
| Q1 24 | 53.1% | — |
| Q4 25 | 12.0% | 4.0% | ||
| Q3 25 | 5.9% | -1.0% | ||
| Q2 25 | 4.3% | 3.3% | ||
| Q1 25 | 7.4% | -3.3% | ||
| Q4 24 | 13.1% | -2.3% | ||
| Q3 24 | 2.7% | -2.3% | ||
| Q2 24 | 1.5% | 3.3% | ||
| Q1 24 | 3.4% | -3.1% |
| Q4 25 | 8.0% | -4.3% | ||
| Q3 25 | 3.4% | -4.6% | ||
| Q2 25 | 2.8% | -1.4% | ||
| Q1 25 | 5.4% | -9.1% | ||
| Q4 24 | 7.9% | -11.6% | ||
| Q3 24 | 1.5% | -6.4% | ||
| Q2 24 | 0.2% | -2.8% | ||
| Q1 24 | 0.3% | -8.3% |
| Q4 25 | $0.67 | $-0.92 | ||
| Q3 25 | $0.30 | $-1.02 | ||
| Q2 25 | $-0.02 | $-0.31 | ||
| Q1 25 | $0.41 | $-2.07 | ||
| Q4 24 | $0.63 | $-2.80 | ||
| Q3 24 | $0.04 | $-1.68 | ||
| Q2 24 | $-0.06 | $-0.73 | ||
| Q1 24 | $-0.06 | $-2.06 |
Balance Sheet & Financial Strength
Snapshot of each company's liquidity, leverage and book value from the latest quarter.
| Metric | | |
|---|---|---|
| Cash + ST InvestmentsLiquidity on hand | $174.1M | $12.6M |
| Total DebtLower is stronger | $94.7M | — |
| Stockholders' EquityBook value | $294.8M | $-48.7M |
| Total Assets | $521.4M | $592.6M |
| Debt / EquityLower = less leverage | 0.32× | — |
8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.
| Q4 25 | $174.1M | $12.6M | ||
| Q3 25 | $191.3M | $10.0M | ||
| Q2 25 | $174.9M | $14.1M | ||
| Q1 25 | $161.6M | $4.7M | ||
| Q4 24 | $131.9M | $6.1M | ||
| Q3 24 | $135.4M | $9.6M | ||
| Q2 24 | $129.8M | $13.4M | ||
| Q1 24 | $125.3M | $16.1M |
| Q4 25 | $94.7M | — | ||
| Q3 25 | $94.4M | — | ||
| Q2 25 | $94.1M | — | ||
| Q1 25 | $93.7M | — | ||
| Q4 24 | $93.4M | — | ||
| Q3 24 | $93.1M | — | ||
| Q2 24 | $92.8M | — | ||
| Q1 24 | $95.0M | — |
| Q4 25 | $294.8M | $-48.7M | ||
| Q3 25 | $279.3M | $-43.3M | ||
| Q2 25 | $272.2M | $-40.5M | ||
| Q1 25 | $310.0M | $-38.9M | ||
| Q4 24 | $303.9M | $-26.7M | ||
| Q3 24 | $290.4M | $-9.9M | ||
| Q2 24 | $288.7M | $4.0M | ||
| Q1 24 | $288.5M | $7.9M |
| Q4 25 | $521.4M | $592.6M | ||
| Q3 25 | $525.3M | $601.7M | ||
| Q2 25 | $537.4M | $622.7M | ||
| Q1 25 | $578.7M | $623.9M | ||
| Q4 24 | $570.1M | $633.0M | ||
| Q3 24 | $569.6M | $649.2M | ||
| Q2 24 | $560.7M | $677.5M | ||
| Q1 24 | $559.0M | $684.8M |
| Q4 25 | 0.32× | — | ||
| Q3 25 | 0.34× | — | ||
| Q2 25 | 0.35× | — | ||
| Q1 25 | 0.30× | — | ||
| Q4 24 | 0.31× | — | ||
| Q3 24 | 0.32× | — | ||
| Q2 24 | 0.32× | — | ||
| Q1 24 | 0.33× | — |
Cash Flow & Capital Efficiency
How much cash each business actually produces after reinvestment. Cash flow is harder to manipulate than net income.
| Metric | | |
|---|---|---|
| Operating Cash FlowLast quarter | $-11.6M | $4.5M |
| Free Cash FlowOCF − Capex | $-15.6M | $3.7M |
| FCF MarginFCF / Revenue | -9.9% | 2.9% |
| Capex IntensityCapex / Revenue | 2.6% | 0.6% |
| Cash ConversionOCF / Net Profit | -0.92× | — |
| TTM Free Cash FlowTrailing 4 quarters | $46.1M | $1.5M |
8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.
| Q4 25 | $-11.6M | $4.5M | ||
| Q3 25 | $21.7M | $-6.3M | ||
| Q2 25 | $14.8M | $8.9M | ||
| Q1 25 | $37.0M | $-790.0K | ||
| Q4 24 | $1.6M | $-7.3M | ||
| Q3 24 | $14.1M | $-261.0K | ||
| Q2 24 | $12.5M | $-1.9M | ||
| Q1 24 | $20.7M | $3.2M |
| Q4 25 | $-15.6M | $3.7M | ||
| Q3 25 | $17.5M | $-8.3M | ||
| Q2 25 | $11.1M | $8.3M | ||
| Q1 25 | $33.1M | $-2.2M | ||
| Q4 24 | $-1.8M | $-8.9M | ||
| Q3 24 | $7.8M | $-2.9M | ||
| Q2 24 | $7.3M | $-5.5M | ||
| Q1 24 | $14.5M | $1.3M |
| Q4 25 | -9.9% | 2.9% | ||
| Q3 25 | 10.7% | -6.0% | ||
| Q2 25 | 6.8% | 5.9% | ||
| Q1 25 | 20.1% | -1.6% | ||
| Q4 24 | -1.1% | -6.1% | ||
| Q3 24 | 5.1% | -1.8% | ||
| Q2 24 | 4.7% | -3.6% | ||
| Q1 24 | 9.4% | 0.9% |
| Q4 25 | 2.6% | 0.6% | ||
| Q3 25 | 2.6% | 1.4% | ||
| Q2 25 | 2.3% | 0.4% | ||
| Q1 25 | 2.4% | 1.0% | ||
| Q4 24 | 2.0% | 1.1% | ||
| Q3 24 | 4.1% | 1.7% | ||
| Q2 24 | 3.4% | 2.4% | ||
| Q1 24 | 4.0% | 1.3% |
| Q4 25 | -0.92× | — | ||
| Q3 25 | 3.90× | — | ||
| Q2 25 | 3.29× | — | ||
| Q1 25 | 4.16× | — | ||
| Q4 24 | 0.12× | — | ||
| Q3 24 | 6.22× | — | ||
| Q2 24 | 33.57× | — | ||
| Q1 24 | 40.20× | — |
Financial Flow Comparison
Revenue → gross profit → operating profit → net profit for each company.
Revenue Breakdown by Segment
APEI
| American Public Education Inc Segment | $71.0M | 45% |
| Rasmussen University Segment | $66.6M | 42% |
| Hondros College Of Nursing Segment | $20.7M | 13% |
LEE
| Advertising And Marketing Services | $60.0M | 46% |
| Subscription And Circulation | $57.7M | 44% |
| Other | $12.4M | 10% |
