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Side-by-side financial comparison of Paycom (PAYC) and Strategic Education, Inc. (STRA). Click either name above to swap in a different company.
Paycom is the larger business by last-quarter revenue ($544.3M vs $305.9M, roughly 1.8× Strategic Education, Inc.). Paycom runs the higher net margin — 20.9% vs 10.7%, a 10.2% gap on every dollar of revenue. On growth, Paycom posted the faster year-over-year revenue change (10.2% vs 0.8%). Paycom produced more free cash flow last quarter ($122.6M vs $77.3M). Over the past eight quarters, Paycom's revenue compounded faster (4.3% CAGR vs -1.0%).
Paycom Software, Inc., known simply as Paycom, is an online payroll and human resource software provider based in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma with offices throughout the United States. It is attributed with being one of the first fully online payroll providers. Founded in 1998, it reported annual revenue of $2.052 billion for 2025, up from $1.883 billion for 2024.
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.
PAYC vs STRA — Head-to-Head
Income Statement — Q4 FY2025 vs Q1 FY2026
| Metric | | |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue | $544.3M | $305.9M |
| Net Profit | $113.8M | $32.8M |
| Gross Margin | 83.9% | — |
| Operating Margin | 28.9% | 13.4% |
| Net Margin | 20.9% | 10.7% |
| Revenue YoY | 10.2% | 0.8% |
| Net Profit YoY | 0.2% | 10.3% |
| EPS (diluted) | $2.06 | $1.48 |
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.
| Q1 26 | — | $305.9M | ||
| Q4 25 | $544.3M | $323.2M | ||
| Q3 25 | $493.3M | $319.9M | ||
| Q2 25 | $483.6M | $321.5M | ||
| Q1 25 | $530.5M | $303.6M | ||
| Q4 24 | $493.9M | $311.5M | ||
| Q3 24 | $451.9M | $306.0M | ||
| Q2 24 | $437.5M | $312.3M |
| Q1 26 | — | $32.8M | ||
| Q4 25 | $113.8M | $37.9M | ||
| Q3 25 | $110.7M | $26.6M | ||
| Q2 25 | $89.5M | $32.3M | ||
| Q1 25 | $139.4M | $29.7M | ||
| Q4 24 | $113.6M | $25.3M | ||
| Q3 24 | $73.3M | $27.7M | ||
| Q2 24 | $68.0M | $29.9M |
| Q1 26 | — | — | ||
| Q4 25 | 83.9% | — | ||
| Q3 25 | 82.7% | — | ||
| Q2 25 | 81.9% | — | ||
| Q1 25 | 84.1% | — | ||
| Q4 24 | 83.1% | — | ||
| Q3 24 | 80.5% | — | ||
| Q2 24 | 80.8% | — |
| Q1 26 | — | 13.4% | ||
| Q4 25 | 28.9% | 16.0% | ||
| Q3 25 | 22.8% | 11.6% | ||
| Q2 25 | 23.2% | 14.2% | ||
| Q1 25 | 34.9% | 13.1% | ||
| Q4 24 | 30.1% | 11.6% | ||
| Q3 24 | 23.2% | 11.9% | ||
| Q2 24 | 21.7% | 13.4% |
| Q1 26 | — | 10.7% | ||
| Q4 25 | 20.9% | 11.7% | ||
| Q3 25 | 22.4% | 8.3% | ||
| Q2 25 | 18.5% | 10.1% | ||
| Q1 25 | 26.3% | 9.8% | ||
| Q4 24 | 23.0% | 8.1% | ||
| Q3 24 | 16.2% | 9.1% | ||
| Q2 24 | 15.5% | 9.6% |
| Q1 26 | — | $1.48 | ||
| Q4 25 | $2.06 | $1.65 | ||
| Q3 25 | $1.96 | $1.15 | ||
| Q2 25 | $1.58 | $1.37 | ||
| Q1 25 | $2.48 | $1.24 | ||
| Q4 24 | $2.04 | $1.05 | ||
| Q3 24 | $1.31 | $1.15 | ||
| Q2 24 | $1.20 | $1.24 |
Balance Sheet & Financial Strength
Snapshot of each company's liquidity, leverage and book value from the latest quarter.
| Metric | | |
|---|---|---|
| Cash + ST InvestmentsLiquidity on hand | $370.0M | $150.3M |
| Total DebtLower is stronger | — | — |
| Stockholders' EquityBook value | $1.7B | $1.6B |
| Total Assets | $7.6B | $2.1B |
| Debt / EquityLower = less leverage | — | — |
8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.
| Q1 26 | — | $150.3M | ||
| Q4 25 | $370.0M | $148.1M | ||
| Q3 25 | $375.0M | $172.6M | ||
| Q2 25 | $532.2M | $164.9M | ||
| Q1 25 | $520.8M | $182.6M | ||
| Q4 24 | $402.0M | $184.0M | ||
| Q3 24 | $325.8M | $222.1M | ||
| Q2 24 | $346.5M | $256.2M |
| Q1 26 | — | $1.6B | ||
| Q4 25 | $1.7B | $1.6B | ||
| Q3 25 | $1.7B | $1.7B | ||
| Q2 25 | $1.8B | $1.7B | ||
| Q1 25 | $1.7B | $1.6B | ||
| Q4 24 | $1.6B | $1.7B | ||
| Q3 24 | $1.5B | $1.7B | ||
| Q2 24 | $1.4B | $1.7B |
| Q1 26 | — | $2.1B | ||
| Q4 25 | $7.6B | $2.0B | ||
| Q3 25 | $4.2B | $2.1B | ||
| Q2 25 | $4.0B | $2.1B | ||
| Q1 25 | $4.6B | $2.1B | ||
| Q4 24 | $5.9B | $2.0B | ||
| Q3 24 | $3.5B | $2.2B | ||
| Q2 24 | $4.3B | $2.2B |
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 | $196.1M | $87.4M |
| Free Cash FlowOCF − Capex | $122.6M | $77.3M |
| FCF MarginFCF / Revenue | 22.5% | 25.3% |
| Capex IntensityCapex / Revenue | 13.5% | — |
| Cash ConversionOCF / Net Profit | 1.72× | 2.66× |
| TTM Free Cash FlowTrailing 4 quarters | $408.0M | $173.9M |
8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.
| Q1 26 | — | $87.4M | ||
| Q4 25 | $196.1M | $39.2M | ||
| Q3 25 | $177.8M | $60.1M | ||
| Q2 25 | $122.5M | $31.2M | ||
| Q1 25 | $182.5M | $67.7M | ||
| Q4 24 | $160.4M | $15.9M | ||
| Q3 24 | $92.8M | $51.5M | ||
| Q2 24 | $132.1M | $24.3M |
| Q1 26 | — | $77.3M | ||
| Q4 25 | $122.6M | $27.0M | ||
| Q3 25 | $79.8M | $49.3M | ||
| Q2 25 | $60.8M | $20.4M | ||
| Q1 25 | $144.8M | $57.3M | ||
| Q4 24 | $109.0M | $4.7M | ||
| Q3 24 | $44.6M | $42.1M | ||
| Q2 24 | $86.5M | $13.6M |
| Q1 26 | — | 25.3% | ||
| Q4 25 | 22.5% | 8.3% | ||
| Q3 25 | 16.2% | 15.4% | ||
| Q2 25 | 12.6% | 6.3% | ||
| Q1 25 | 27.3% | 18.9% | ||
| Q4 24 | 22.1% | 1.5% | ||
| Q3 24 | 9.9% | 13.8% | ||
| Q2 24 | 19.8% | 4.3% |
| Q1 26 | — | — | ||
| Q4 25 | 13.5% | 3.8% | ||
| Q3 25 | 19.9% | 3.4% | ||
| Q2 25 | 12.8% | 3.4% | ||
| Q1 25 | 7.1% | 3.4% | ||
| Q4 24 | 10.4% | 3.6% | ||
| Q3 24 | 10.7% | 3.1% | ||
| Q2 24 | 10.4% | 3.4% |
| Q1 26 | — | 2.66× | ||
| Q4 25 | 1.72× | 1.03× | ||
| Q3 25 | 1.61× | 2.26× | ||
| Q2 25 | 1.37× | 0.97× | ||
| Q1 25 | 1.31× | 2.27× | ||
| Q4 24 | 1.41× | 0.63× | ||
| Q3 24 | 1.27× | 1.86× | ||
| Q2 24 | 1.94× | 0.81× |
Financial Flow Comparison
Revenue → gross profit → operating profit → net profit for each company.
Revenue Breakdown by Segment
PAYC
| Recurring | $510.3M | 94% |
| Interest On Funds Held For Clients | $27.2M | 5% |
| Implementation And Other | $6.8M | 1% |
STRA
| U.S. Higher Education | $212.6M | 69% |
| Australia/New Zealand | $51.8M | 17% |
| Education Technology Services | $41.5M | 14% |
