Based on the aggregated intelligence of 180,000-plus investors participating in Motley Fool CAPS, the Fool's free investing community, for-profit educator American Public Education (Nasdaq: APEI) has earned a respected four-star ranking.

With that in mind, let's take a closer look at American Public Education's business and see what CAPS investors are saying about the stock right now.

American Public Education facts

Headquarters (founded) Charles Town, W. Va.
Market Cap $683.0 million
Industry Education services
Trailing-12-Month Revenue $260.4 million
Management CEO Wallace Boston Jr. (since 2004)
CFO Harry Wilkins (since 2007)
Return on Equity (average, past 3 years) 34.6%
Cash/Debt $119.0 million / $0
Competitors Apollo Group
DeVry
ITT Educational Services

Sources: S&P Capital IQ and Motley Fool CAPS.

On CAPS, 95% of the 271 members who have rated American Public Education believe the stock will outperform the S&P 500 going forward.  

Just yesterday, one of those bulls, Clint35, helped school Fools on the bargain opportunity:

Looks pretty cheap right now. They're in a hated industry at the moment. That's probably why it's cheap. Sales growth is above 30% but the P/E is only just above 17. The PEG is 0.76. Margins are great and no debt. Once this industry recovers this one will take off.

Of course, despite its four-star rating, American Public Education may not be your top choice. If that's the case, we've compiled a special free report for investors called "Discover the Next Rule-Breaking Multibagger," which uncovers another small-cap play with big potential. The report is 100% free, but it won't be around forever, so click here to access it now.

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