COMPARE · Data as of August 21, 2026
LRN vs PRDO
Verdict: Side-by-side breakdown using the Bull Rankings model. LRN scored 81.9, PRDO scored 80.1 — LRN leads.
Compare another set
LRN
Stride, Inc.
81.9
$84.07 · $3.5B
fundamentals as of
Score gap
1.8
LRN 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
- CheapestLRN11.8x
- 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)
LRN
stronger →← stronger
PRDO
86
Qualityreturns · margins · balance sheet
89
67
Growthrevenue & earnings expansion
76
96
Valuevaluation vs sector peers
76
PRDO is stronger on 2 of 3 pillars.
Fundamentals, head-to-head
LRN
PRDO
$433mC
FCF
$221mC
+4.7%C+
Rev
+11.7%B
0.33A-
D/E
0.11A-
11.8xA
P/E
11.8xA
0.49A
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
LRN
PRDO
49% below
Price vs fair valuelower is cheaper
54% below
~-11%/yr
Growth the price implies10-yr FCF · lower = less priced in
~-13%/yr
+88%
1-yr DCF upside
+110%
+97%
5-yr DCF upside
+117%
+109%
10-yr DCF upside
+128%
The DCF is a cross-check on intrinsic value, separate from the quality-growth score above.
Model signals
LRN
Why this score
- Buying back stock
- Durable high returns
PRDO
Why this score
- Buying back stock
- Raising its dividend
- Durable high returns
The companies
LRNStride, Inc.
Why now
Education & Training Services · market cap $3.5b. Down 51% from 52-week high of $171.17 — deep drawdown territory. PEG 0.49 — paying under fair value for the growth rate.
Moat
Net margin 13% beats the market median by a meaningful margin — the company is keeping more of every revenue dollar than the average S&P constituent. ROE 21% sits above Buffett's preferred 15% threshold — the equity base is compounding at a rate the market struggles to discount accurately. FCF converts 128% of net income — earnings translate cleanly into cash, a sign that working capital and capex are well-disciplined.
Risk
Down 51% from the 52-week high — the market is pricing in something the screen can't see; verify the bear case before sizing up.
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 LRN with an 87.3 score, primarily due to its significantly higher Value pillar of 94 compared to PRDO's 72, reflected in LRN's A grade for PEG at 0.45. However, a contrarian might prefer PRDO for its deeper margin of safety, trading at 56% below our DCF fair value, surpassing LRN's 48% discount. Both stocks operate in the same sector with comparable scoring scales.
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 LRN and PRDO diverge
On the headline score the gap is 1.8 points in favor of LRN. They get there differently, though — each leads on a different pillar, so the better pick depends on which you weight.
- ValueLRN 95.7 · PRDO 75.6LRN +20.1
- GrowthLRN 66.9 · PRDO 76.0PRDO +9.1
- QualityLRN 86.1 · PRDO 89.4PRDO +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.