COMPARE · Data as of August 21, 2026
LOPE vs PRDO
Verdict: Side-by-side breakdown using the Bull Rankings model. LOPE scored 77.6, PRDO scored 80.1 — PRDO leads.
Compare another set
LOPE
Grand Canyon Education, Inc.
77.6
$146.27 · $3.8B
fundamentals as of
Score gap
2.5
PRDO leads
PRDO
Perdoceo Education Corporation
80.1
$32.48 · $2.0B
fundamentals as of
At a glance · who leads each dimension, on the model's own rules
- CheapestPRDO11.8x
- Fastest growthPRDO+11.7%
- Strongest balance sheetPRDO0.11
- Highest qualityPRDO89 / 100
- Largest discount to fair valuePRDO-54%
Side by side · every name on one set of axes
Growth against the P/E multiple. Up and to the right is cheaper and faster — the quality-growth idea in one picture. Points beyond the axis are pinned to the edge and marked off-scale rather than allowed to compress everything else.
The model, pillar by pillar (0–100 each)
LOPE
stronger →← stronger
PRDO
81
Qualityreturns · margins · balance sheet
89
73
Growthrevenue & earnings expansion
76
79
Valuevaluation vs sector peers
76
PRDO is stronger on 2 of 3 pillars.
Fundamentals, head-to-head
LOPE
PRDO
$243mC
FCF
$221mC
+7.0%C+
Rev
+11.7%B
0.16A-
D/E
0.11A-
17.7xB+
P/E
11.8xA
0.95B+
PEG
0.70A-
Winner per row is the stronger grade; where grades tie, the better figure breaks it. A true tie or a missing value shows no highlight.
Valuation · DCF cross-check
LOPE
PRDO
40% below
Price vs fair valuelower is cheaper
54% below
~-5%/yr
Growth the price implies10-yr FCF · lower = less priced in
~-13%/yr
+50%
1-yr DCF upside
+110%
+67%
5-yr DCF upside
+117%
+94%
10-yr DCF upside
+128%
The DCF is a cross-check on intrinsic value, separate from the quality-growth score above.
Model signals
LOPE
Why this score
- Buying back stock
- Durable high returns
PRDO
Why this score
- Buying back stock
- Raising its dividend
- Durable high returns
The companies
LOPEGrand Canyon Education, Inc.
Why now
Education & Training Services · market cap $3.8b. Down 34% from 52-week high of $223.04 — deep drawdown territory. PEG 0.95 — paying under fair value for the growth rate. 3 sell-side analysts publish a mean 1-yr target of $195.00 (implying +33% 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 34% 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 0.7% 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 $2.0b. 16% off the 52-week high of $38.50. Revenue growing +12%, comfortably above the S&P median. PEG 0.70 — paying under fair value for the growth rate.
Moat
Net margin 21% sits well above the S&P median (~11%) — suggests structural pricing advantage or cost discipline competitors can't quickly close. 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 125% 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.
Verdict — model-derived comparison
The model favors PRDO (79.5 score) over LOPE (76.2), driven by PRDO's superior Quality pillar (89 vs 81) and stronger Revenue growth (B vs C+). However, a contrarian could prefer LOPE for its slightly higher Value pillar score of 75, suggesting a marginally better valuation. No structural caveats apply to this comparison.
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.
Where LOPE and PRDO diverge
On the headline score the gap is 2.5 points in favor of PRDO. They get there differently, though — each leads on a different pillar, so the better pick depends on which you weight.
- QualityLOPE 81.4 · PRDO 89.4PRDO +8.0
- GrowthLOPE 72.7 · PRDO 76.0PRDO +3.3
- ValueLOPE 78.9 · PRDO 75.6LOPE +3.3
Pillars run 0–100 against sector peers, so a score is a statement about a company relative to its own industry rather than to the other name here. A wide Value gap usually means the market already prices the difference in quality or growth — which is the trade-off this comparison comes down to.