COMPARE · Reviewed July 2, 2026
LOPE vs PRDO
Verdict: Side-by-side breakdown using the Bull Rankings model. LOPE scored 74.6, PRDO scored 81.1 — PRDO ahead by 6.5.
LOPE
Grand Canyon Education, Inc.
74.6
$152.65
Score gap
6.5
PRDO leads
PRDO
Perdoceo Education Corporation
81.1
$34.43
The companies
LOPEGrand Canyon Education, Inc.
Why now
Education & Training Services · market cap $4.0b. Down 32% from 52-week high of $223.04 — deep drawdown territory. PEG 0.94 — paying under fair value for the growth rate. 3 sell-side analysts publish a mean 1-yr target of $209.33 (implying +37% upside).
Moat
Free cash flow runs well ahead of reported net income — non-cash charges (depreciation, intangible amortization) are holding down GAAP earnings while cash generation stays strong.
Risk
Down 32% from the 52-week high — the market is pricing in something the screen can't see; verify the bear case before sizing up. Net margin 0.4% is thin — operating leverage cuts both ways; input-cost inflation or pricing pressure hits the bottom line first. ROE 1% is below the long-run sustainable threshold of ~10% — capital efficiency would need to improve for the equity base to compound at the market rate.
PRDOPerdoceo Education Corporation
Why now
Education & Training Services · market cap $2.2b. 11% off the 52-week high of $38.50. Revenue growing +24%, comfortably above the S&P median. PEG 0.68 — paying under fair value for the growth rate.
Moat
Net margin 20% beats the market median by a meaningful margin — the company is keeping more of every revenue dollar than the average S&P constituent. ROE 17% sits above Buffett's preferred 15% threshold — the equity base is compounding at a rate the market struggles to discount accurately. FCF converts 132% of net income — earnings translate cleanly into cash, a sign that working capital and capex are well-disciplined.
Risk
Value re-rating depends on a catalyst. Without one — analyst day, divestiture, margin recovery, capital return — the stock can stay cheap on these multiples for years.
Base grades (each contributes ~14.3% of base composite)
| LOPE | Component | PRDO |
|---|---|---|
| C65 | FCF | C65 |
| B80 | Rev | A-90 |
| A-90 | D/E | A-90 |
| B80 | P/E or P/S | A-90 |
| B+85 | PEG | A-90 |
| Supplemental signals · feed the score, not on the row card | ||
| B+85 | FCF Yield | A95 |
| C65 | ROE | B+85 |
| 79.1 | Base composite | 87 |
Adjustments (signed deltas applied on top of base)
LOPE
GARP sweet spot (PEG <1, positive FCF)+1
DCF cross-check (avg upside 76%)+1
Total+2
PRDO
compounder synergy (FCF yield ≥5% + ROE ≥15% + D/E <1)+4
GARP sweet spot (PEG <1, positive FCF)+1
insider cluster buying (net +38.2%, 42 txns)+2
DCF cross-check (avg upside 127%)+2
Total+9
DCF cross-check (per-share value vs. live price)
| LOPE upside | Horizon | PRDO upside |
|---|---|---|
| +55% | 1Y | +111% |
| +72% | 5Y | +124% |
| +101% | 10Y | +144% |
Verdict — model-derived comparison
Generating verdict… typically 5–10 seconds
Not investment advice. The Bull Rankings publishes a quantitative ranking model and accompanying analysis for general informational purposes only. Nothing on this page is a recommendation to buy, sell, or hold any security; nothing is personalized to your circumstances, risk tolerance, or tax situation. Investing carries the risk of loss — invest at your own risk and consider consulting a licensed financial professional before acting on anything you read here. See terms and methodology for full disclosures.