Which has the lower trailing P/E, APEI or FLO?

APEI has the lower trailing P/E: APEI trades at 18.28 and FLO at 21.52. P/E is one valuation measure and does not by itself establish which business is cheaper.

Which has grown faster, APEI or FLO?

Over the past five years, APEI grew revenue faster — APEI at a 15.04% CAGR versus FLO at 3.20%.

Does APEI or FLO pay a bigger dividend?

FLO pays a dividend (13.30% yield), while APEI has no payments in the available dividend history.

Is APEI or FLO more profitable?

APEI runs the higher net margin — APEI at 6.84% versus FLO at 1.06%.

How have APEI and FLO total returns compared?

Over the past 10 years, APEI delivered 8.10% and FLO delivered -5.44% annualized total return. Past performance doesn't predict future results.

American Public Education, Inc. (APEI) vs Flowers Foods, Inc. (FLO)

A side-by-side comparison of American Public Education, Inc. and Flowers Foods, Inc. across valuation, profitability, dividends, and growth — built entirely from reported fundamentals, as of October 6, 2026. Differences are shown without an overall score or investment verdict.

APEI

American Public Education, Inc.

$815M

$44.43Consumer DefensiveDelayed quote: Oct 6, 2026, 10:45 AM EDT

FLO

Flowers Foods, Inc.

$1.19B

$5.60Consumer DefensiveDelayed quote: Oct 6, 2026, 10:45 AM EDT

Total return — APEI vs FLO

growth of $100 · dividends reinvested · last 10y

APEI +118.1% (+8.1%/yr)FLO -43.1% (-5.5%/yr)APEI compounded faster over this window

APEI FLO

APEI vs FLO: by the numbers

•FLO is the larger company ($1.19B vs $815M market cap).
•APEI trades at the lower trailing earnings multiple (18.28 vs 21.52 P/E), one valuation lens rather than an overall verdict.
•APEI converts more revenue to profit (6.84% vs 1.06% net margin).
•APEI grew revenue faster over the past five years (15.04% vs 3.20% CAGR).
•FLO pays a dividend (13.30% yield), while APEI has no payments in the available dividend history.

Metrics side by side

Valuation

Metric	APEI	FLO
P/E ratio	18.28	21.52
Forward P/E	16.93	7.08
PEG ratio	10.76	N/A
P/S ratio	1.22	0.23
P/B ratio	2.60	0.90
EV / EBITDA	12.00	2.96
FCF yield	8.60%	26.63%

Profitability

Metric	APEI	FLO
Gross margin	54.61%	47.89%
Operating margin	9.59%	5.46%
Net margin	6.84%	1.06%
ROE	14.54%	4.17%
ROIC	10.85%	5.41%

Dividends

Metric	APEI	FLO
Dividend yield	N/A	13.30%
Payout ratio	N/A	286.54%

Growth (annualized)

Metric	APEI	FLO
Revenue CAGR (5Y)	15.04%	3.20%
EPS CAGR (5Y)	1.97%	-11.08%
FCF CAGR (5Y)	32.90%	20.81%
Total return CAGR (5Y)	10.80%	-21.67%

Frequently asked

Which has the lower trailing P/E, APEI or FLO?: APEI has the lower trailing P/E: APEI trades at 18.28 and FLO at 21.52. P/E is one valuation measure and does not by itself establish which business is cheaper.
Which has grown faster, APEI or FLO?: Over the past five years, APEI grew revenue faster — APEI at a 15.04% CAGR versus FLO at 3.20%.
Does APEI or FLO pay a bigger dividend?: FLO pays a dividend (13.30% yield), while APEI has no payments in the available dividend history.
Is APEI or FLO more profitable?: APEI runs the higher net margin — APEI at 6.84% versus FLO at 1.06%.
How have APEI and FLO total returns compared?: Over the past 10 years, APEI delivered 8.10% and FLO delivered -5.44% annualized total return. Past performance doesn't predict future results.

Go deeper

Full APEI analysis Full FLO analysis Interactive comparison tool

Dig into the metrics

American Public Education P/E ratio Flowers Foods P/E ratio Flowers Foods dividend yield American Public Education ROE Flowers Foods ROE American Public Education operating margin Flowers Foods operating margin American Public Education revenue growth Flowers Foods revenue growth American Public Education free cash flow Flowers Foods free cash flow

American Public Education & Flowers Foods appear in these rankings

Highest Dividend Yield Stocks Fastest Revenue Growth Stocks Highest FCF Yield Stocks

Figures are sourced from reported fundamentals and the latest end-of-day price. This comparison is informational only and is not investment advice. Past performance does not predict future results. See our methodology. Compiled by TGMCharts Research · data verified October 6, 2026.