Sifting through countless of stocks in the Diversified Consumer Services industry can be tedious, and sometimes two stocks are just too similar to judge which is the better investment. If you’re on the fence about investing in Strategic Education, Inc. or Perdoceo Education Corporation because you’re not sure how they measure up, it’s important to compare them on a few factors before making your decision.

Read on to learn how Strategic Education, Inc. and Perdoceo Education Corporation compare based on key financial metrics to determine which better meets your investment needs.

About Strategic Education, Inc. and Perdoceo Education Corporation

Strategic Education, Inc. provides education services through campus-based and online post-secondary education, and programs to develop job-ready skills. The company operates through three segments: U.S. Higher Education, Australia/New Zealand, and Education Technology Services. It operates Strayer University that offers undergraduate and graduate degree programs in business, criminal justice, education, health services, information technology, and public administration at physical campuses located in the eastern United States, as well as through online; non-degree web and mobile application development courses through Hackbright Academy and Devmountain; and MBA online through its Jack Welch Management Institute. In addition, the company operates Capella University, an online accredited institution of higher education; Torrens University, which offers undergraduate, graduate, higher degree by research, and specialized degree courses in business, design and creative technology, health, hospitality, and education fields through online and on physical campuses located in Australia; Think Education, a vocational training organization and higher education provider; and Media Design School, which provides industry-endorsed courses in 3D animation and visual effects, game art and programming, graphic and motion design, digital media, artificial intelligence, and creative advertising. It offers Workforce Edge, an administration platform that enables employers to manage and streamline their education benefits programs; and Sophia Learning, which offers low-cost online general education-level courses. Strategic Education, Inc. was founded in 1892 and is headquartered in Herndon, Virginia.

Perdoceo Education Corporation provides postsecondary education through online, campus-based, and blended learning programs in the United States. It operates through three segments: Colorado Technical University (CTU), The American InterContinental University System (AIUS), and University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences (USAHS). The CTU segment offers academic programs in the career-oriented disciplines of business and management, nursing, healthcare management, computer science, engineering, information systems and technology, project management, cybersecurity, and criminal justice. Its AIUS segment provides academic programs in the career-oriented disciplines of business studies, information technologies, education, and behavioral sciences. The USAHS segment offers graduate health sciences degrees in physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech language therapy, and nursing, as well as continuing education programs. The company also provides non-degree seeking and professional development programs. In addition, it operates intellipath, a learning platform, as well as a mobile application and two-way messaging platform. The company was formerly known as Career Education Corporation and changed its name to Perdoceo Education Corporation in January 2020. Perdoceo Education Corporation was incorporated in 1994 and is headquartered in Schaumburg, Illinois.

Latest Diversified Consumer Services and Strategic Education, Inc., Perdoceo Education Corporation Stock News

As of September 14, 2026, Strategic Education, Inc. had a $1.8 billion market capitalization, compared to the Diversified Consumer Services median of $78.9 million. Strategic Education, Inc.’s stock is up 3.5% in 2026, up 2% in the previous five trading days and down 1.94% in the past year.

Currently, Strategic Education, Inc.’s price-earnings ratio is 13.8. Strategic Education, Inc.’s trailing 12-month revenue is $1.3 billion with a 10.5% net profit margin. Year-over-year quarterly sales growth most recently was 4.9%. Analysts expect adjusted earnings to reach $7.207 per share for the current fiscal year. Strategic Education, Inc. currently has a 2.9% dividend yield.

As of September 14, 2026, Perdoceo Education Corporation had a $2.1 billion market cap, putting it in the 54th percentile of all stocks. Perdoceo Education Corporation’s stock is up 13% in 2026, up 0.1% in the previous five trading days and down 4.92% in the past year.

Currently, Perdoceo Education Corporation’s price-earnings ratio is 12.1. Perdoceo Education Corporation’s trailing 12-month revenue is $858.6 million with a 20.6% net profit margin. Year-over-year quarterly sales growth most recently was 1.8%. Analysts expect adjusted earnings to reach $3.130 per share for the current fiscal year. Perdoceo Education Corporation currently has a 2.1% dividend yield.

How We Compare Strategic Education, Inc. and Perdoceo Education Corporation Stock Grades

Stock evaluation requires access to huge amounts of data and the knowledge and time to sift through it all, make sense of financial ratios, read income statements and analyze recent stock movements. AAII created A+ Investor, a robust data suite that condenses data research in an actionable and customizable way suitable for investors of all knowledge levels, to help investors streamline and work through such data.

AAII’s proprietary stock grades come with A+ Investor. These offer intuitive A‐F grades for each of five key investing factors: value, growth, momentum, earnings estimate revisions and quality. Here, we’ll take a closer look at Strategic Education, Inc. and Perdoceo Education Corporation’s stock grades to see how they measure up against one another.

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Strategic Education, Inc. and Perdoceo Education Corporation Growth Grades

Company	Ticker	Growth
Strategic Education, Inc.	STRA	B
Perdoceo Education Corporation	PRDO	B

The foundation of growth investing is seeking out stocks of companies exhibiting strong, consistent and prolonged growth that is expected to continue into the future.

In order to compute the growth score and assign it a letter grade, the percentile ranks for each of three components‐consistency of annual sales growth, five-year sales growth rankings adjusted for extreme levels, and consistency of positive annual cash from operations‐must be determined. These three rank figures are added together, and the sum is ranked against the entire stock universe to arrive at a company’s Growth Score to create an equal distribution of grades.

The companies in the bottom 20% of the stock universe receive Growth Grades of F, considered to be very weak, while those in the top 20% receive A grades, which are considered very strong.

Strategic Education, Inc. has a Growth Score of 73, which is Strong. Perdoceo Education Corporation has a Growth Score of 73, which is Strong.

The Growth Grade Winner: It’s a Tie!

Looking at the Growth Grade breakdown above, both Strategic Education, Inc. and Perdoceo Education Corporation have a grade of B. For investors who focus solely on a company’s upward growth, further research should be conducted into both companies’ other financial metrics before deciding whether to invest.

Strategic Education, Inc. and Perdoceo Education Corporation’s Quality Grades

Company	Ticker	Quality
Strategic Education, Inc.	STRA	A
Perdoceo Education Corporation	PRDO	A

Like the Value Grade, AAII’s A+ Investor Quality Grade comes from the percentile rank of key metrics. Specifically, the Quality Score is the percentile rank of the average of the percentile ranks of return on assets (ROA), return on invested capital (ROIC), gross profit relative to assets, buyback yield, change in total liabilities to assets, accruals, Z double prime bankruptcy risk (Z) score and the F-Score.

The score is variable, meaning it can consider all eight measures or, should any of the eight measures not be valid, the remaining measures that are valid. To be assigned a Quality Score, stocks must have a valid (non-null) measure and corresponding ranking for at least four of the eight quality measures.

The Quality Score is used to assess the underlying “quality” of a particular stock. A higher-quality stock possesses traits associated with upside potential and reduced downside risk. Backtesting of the Quality Grade shows that stocks with higher grades, on average, outperformed stocks with lower grades over the period of 1998 through 2019.

Stocks receive better grades (higher scores) for having higher scores for the quality subcomponents and worse grades (lower scores) for lower scores for the subcomponents.

Strategic Education, Inc. has a Quality Score of 97, which is Very Strong. Perdoceo Education Corporation has a Quality Score of 98, which is Very Strong.

The Quality Grade Winner: It’s a Tie!

Looking at the Quality Grade breakdown above, both Strategic Education, Inc. and Perdoceo Education Corporation have a grade of A. For investors who focus solely on a company’s overall quality, you will need to conduct further research into both companies to see if they are a good fit for your portfolio. As a good rule of thumb, you should always analyze multiple factors based on a wide range of metrics before choosing a company to invest in.

Strategic Education, Inc. and Perdoceo Education Corporation’s Estimate Revisions Grades

Company	Ticker	Earnings Estimate
Strategic Education, Inc.	STRA	D
Perdoceo Education Corporation	PRDO	D

Earnings estimate revisions scores consider the magnitude of a company’s earnings surprise in its last two reported fiscal quarters. Often, positive surprises beget further positive surprises‐or at least continued sales growth (the exact opposite is generally true, too).

Estimate revisions offer an indication of what analysts are thinking about the short-term prospects of a firm. Estimate revisions are based on the statistical significance of a firm’s last two quarterly earnings surprises and the percentage change in its consensus estimate for the current fiscal year over the past month and past three months.

Strategic Education, Inc. has a Earnings Estimate Score of 23, which is Negative. Perdoceo Education Corporation has a Earnings Estimate Score of 37, which is Negative.

The Earnings Estimate Revisions Stock Winner: No Clear Winner

Neither Strategic Education, Inc. or Perdoceo Education Corporation has an Earnings Estimate Revisions Grade that could be considered a “winner.” Investors considering these companies should do additional due diligence and research to see if either could be a good addition to their portfolios. It’s important to look at a wide range of financial metrics in order to determine if Strategic Education, Inc. or Perdoceo Education Corporation is the better investment when it comes to estimate revisions.

Other Strategic Education, Inc. and Perdoceo Education Corporation Grades

In addition to Quality, Estimate Revisions and Growth, A+ Investor also provides grades for Value and Momentum.

Momentum grades help uncover stocks experiencing anomalously high rates of return; research finds that stocks with high relative levels of momentum tend to outperform, whereas those with low levels of momentum tend to continue underperforming.

Successful stock investing involves buying low and selling high, so stock valuation is an important consideration for stock selection. Buying stocks that are going to go up typically means buying stocks that are undervalued in the first place, although momentum investors may argue that point.

These 2 key factors, when combined with the above, provide a holistic view into a particular stock. Further, by joining A+ Investor you can see whether Strategic Education, Inc. and Perdoceo Education Corporation pass any of our 60+ stock screens that have outperformed the market since their creation.

So, Which Is the Better Investment, Strategic Education, Inc. or Perdoceo Education Corporation Stock?

Overall, Strategic Education, Inc. stock has a Growth Score of 73, Estimate Revisions Score of 23 and Quality Score of 97.

Perdoceo Education Corporation stock has a Growth Score of 73, Estimate Revisions Score of 37 and Quality Score of 98.

Comparing Strategic Education, Inc. and Perdoceo Education Corporation’s grades, scores and metrics can act as a solid basis to determine whether they may be a good investment or not. You’ll also want to look at your portfolio’s asset allocation as well as your risk tolerance and financial goals to see if either of these stocks would make a good fit for you. AAII can help you figure out which investments align with your individual needs and preferences.

Investors are encouraged to do their own due diligence and research. In this way, individuals can effectively become managers of their own assets‐without having to rely on others for financial independence. You can count on AAII for timeless articles on financial planning and stock-picking, unbiased research and actionable analysis.

A+ Investor adds to our qualitative teaching with a powerful data suite to help you whittle down investment choices to find stocks, exchange-traded funds (ETFs) or mutual funds that meet your needs.

AAII Disclaimer

We make no representations or warranties that any investor will, or is likely to, achieve profits similar to those shown, because past, hypothetical or simulated performance is not necessarily indicative of future results. Before making an investment decision, you should consider your circumstances and whether the information on our content is applicable to your situation. This information was prepared in good faith, and we accept no liability for any errors or omissions. The full disclaimer can be read here.