PRDO vs LAUR vs CVSA Stock Comparison

Perdoceo Education, Laureate Education and Covista Prices as of Oct 28, 2026 Peers: Industry group
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PRDO PERDOCEO EDUCATION Corp
$31.48 +4.9% 1M -14.2% 1Y
Market cap
$1.97B
P/E
11.1x
Revenue (TTM)
$858.61M
Div. yield
0.02%
Education Services Consumer Discretionary
4 wins
LAUR Laureate Education, Inc.
$36.36 -3.3% 1M +21.8% 1Y
Market cap
$5.05B
P/E
15.7x
Revenue (TTM)
$1.83B
Div. yield
–
Education Services Consumer Discretionary
6 wins
CVSA Covista Inc.
$126.44 +7.6% 1M -17.9% 1Y
Market cap
$4.48B
P/E
17.8x
Revenue (TTM)
$1.95B
Div. yield
–
Education Services Consumer Discretionary
1 win

Head to Head

11 decided of 12

Laureate Education leads on 6 of the 12 questions below (Laureate Education 6, Perdoceo Education 4, Covista 1). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionPRDOLAURCVSALeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $1.97B $5.05B $4.48B LAUR
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 11.1x 15.7x 17.8x PRDO
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 10.2x 18.2x 14.8x PRDO
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +11.7% +17.9% +9.3% LAUR
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 20.6% 17.6% 12.9% PRDO
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital — 24.7% 15.0% LAUR
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA — 0.1x 0.6x LAUR
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.02% 0.00% 0.00% –
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months -14.2% +21.8% -17.9% LAUR
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +24.3%/yr +16.0%/yr +27.9%/yr CVSA
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 35.9% 33.2% 57.4% LAUR
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 74/100 69/100 68/100 PRDO

Percentile Scorecard

PRDOLAURCVSA

Each axis is the mean percentile of its metrics against the company's industry group. 100 is the best in the group, 50 the middle.

Scores by Axis

AxisPRDOLAURCVSA
Valuation 81 #7 of 33 31 #23 of 33 53 #16 of 33
Growth 35 #20 of 30 79 #7 of 30 76 #8 of 30
Profitability 96 #2 of 28 93 #3 of 28 89 #4 of 28
Financial Health 97 #2 of 37 56 #17 of 37 47 #20 of 37
Shareholder Returns 62 #6 of 14 85 #3 of 14 77 #4 of 14
Overall 74 69 68
  • PRDO ranked among 39 companies in Consumer Services
  • LAUR ranked among 39 companies in Consumer Services
  • CVSA ranked among 39 companies in Consumer Services

Price Performance

Price return, split-adjusted, before dividends. Click a name to hide or show it.

Returns

PeriodPRDOLAURCVSASPY
1 month +4.9%-3.3%+7.6% +0.9%
3 months -8.9%-5.3%-5.2% +5.9%
6 months -8.3%+15.1%+10.3% +8.5%
Year to date +7.3%+8.0%+22.2% +13.3%
1 year -14.2%+21.8%-17.9% +12.4%
3 years +75.8%+155.4%+153.0% +88.1%
3 years, per year +20.7%+36.7%+36.3% +23.5%
5 years +196.4%+109.9%+242.4% +68.2%
5 years, per year +24.3%+16.0%+27.9% +11.0%
10 years +345.3%—+447.1% +263.4%
10 years, per year +16.1%—+18.5% +13.8%

Risk

MeasurePRDOLAURCVSASPY
Volatility, 1Y 35.9%33.2%57.4% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 42.9%34.3%73.5% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y -0.030.28-0.06 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y -0.400.66-0.31 0.98
Max drawdown, 5Y -27.4%-46.1%-49.2% -25.4%
From 52-week high -17.0%-10.1%-17.9% -0.9%
52-week high $37.95$40.46$153.98 $779.14
52-week low $27.41$28.88$89.36 $631.97

Valuation History

Weekly multiples on trailing twelve-month fundamentals. Negative or extreme readings (a loss year, a collapsed denominator) are left out so the chart stays readable.

MultiplePRDOLAURCVSA
P/E now vs peer median 11.1xmedian 14.9x 15.7xmedian 14.9x 17.6xmedian 14.9x
P/S now vs peer median 2.3xmedian 1.2x 2.7xmedian 1.2x 2.2xmedian 1.2x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 2.7xmedian 9.3x 9.5xmedian 9.3x 10.3xmedian 9.3x
P/FCF now vs peer median 9.0xmedian 14.5x 17.5xmedian 14.5x 10.9xmedian 14.5x
P/B now vs peer median 1.9xmedian 1.8x 4.4xmedian 1.8x 3.0xmedian 1.8x
PEG now vs peer median 0.77median 0.35 0.29median 0.35 0.35median 0.35

Financial History

Reported figures by fiscal period, placed on the calendar year (or quarter) each period ended in, so companies with different fiscal years line up.

Trailing twelve monthsPRDOLAURCVSA
Revenue $858.61M $1.83B $1.95B
Gross profit $661.90M $498.85M $1.12B
Operating income $210.88M $446.85M $383.38M
Net income $177.12M $321.53M $251.57M
Free cash flow $217.98M $286.58M $393.10M
EPS (diluted) $2.79 $2.30 $7.04
Cash & equivalents $734.82M $161.67M $406.32M
Total debt – $223.17M $662.85M
Shares (diluted) 63.59M 139.94M 35.72M
Enterprise value -$2.84B $4.34B $3.61B

All Metrics

58 metrics · best in bold

Bold marks the best reading: the lowest positive value for multiples, leverage and payout, the highest for everything else. The bar under each value is its percentile against that company's own peers. Hover a value for its rank and the peer median.

Valuation

12 metrics
MetricPRDOLAURCVSA
P/E 11.1x 15.7x 17.6x
P/FCF 9.0x 17.5x 10.9x
P/Operating cash flow 8.7x 12.3x 9.1x
P/S 2.3x 2.7x 2.2x
P/B 1.9x 4.4x 3.0x
P/Tangible book 2.0x 5.1x 6.2x
EV/EBITDA 2.7x 9.5x 10.3x
EV/EBIT 3.1x 11.3x 11.9x
EV/Revenue 0.8x 2.8x 2.3x
EV/FCF 3.0x 17.7x 11.6x
EV/Operating cash flow 2.9x 12.4x 9.7x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 0.77 0.29 0.35

Growth

14 metrics
MetricPRDOLAURCVSA
Revenue growth (1Y) 11.7% 17.9% 9.3%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 5.7% 10.4% 10.4%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 9.1% 18.0% 10.2%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 3.4% 11.5% 11.8%
Operating income growth (1Y) 13.9% 18.7% 12.2%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 13.7% 13.6% 31.6%
Net income growth (1Y) 14.7% 25.1% 6.1%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 11.7% 47.6% 39.2%
EPS growth (1Y) 20.1% 32.4% 13.9%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 14.5% 53.6% 51.0%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 6.1% 39.9% 39.3%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 12.2% 24.4% 34.2%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 6.1% 25.7% 36.7%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 13.2% 23.6% 33.8%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricPRDOLAURCVSA
Gross margin 77.1% 27.3% 57.3%
EBITDA margin 29.0% 29.1% 22.6%
Operating margin 24.6% 24.4% 19.6%
Pretax margin 26.9% 24.2% 17.7%
Net margin 20.6% 17.6% 12.9%
FCF margin 25.4% 15.7% 20.1%
Operating cash flow margin 26.2% 22.3% 24.1%
Return on equity 17.3% 29.4% 17.9%
Return on assets 13.4% 13.7% 8.8%
Return on invested capital – 24.7% 15.0%
Return on capital employed 18.5% 24.3% 16.8%
Asset turnover 0.7x 0.8x 0.7x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 1.3x 1.3x 1.9x
Stock comp / revenue 1.5% 0.8% 2.1%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricPRDOLAURCVSA
Debt / assets – 9.2% 22.0%
Debt / equity – 0.2x 0.5x
Net debt / EBITDA – 0.1x 0.6x
Debt / FCF – 0.8x 1.7x
Liabilities / assets 22.6% 52.9% 52.0%
Equity / assets 77.4% 47.1% 48.0%
Interest coverage 34.1x 35.9x 8.4x
Current ratio 4.7x 0.7x 1.1x
Quick ratio 7.9x 0.6x 1.0x
Cash ratio 7.6x 0.3x 0.7x
Altman Z-score 6.50 3.86 4.15

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricPRDOLAURCVSA
Dividend yield 2.0% – –
Net buyback yield 4.5% 6.6% 5.5%
Shareholder yield 6.5% 6.6% 5.5%
Payout ratio (earnings) 21.9% – –
Payout ratio (FCF) 17.8% – –
Dividend growth (1Y) 11.6% – –
Dividend CAGR (3Y) – – –

Analyst Estimates

Solid lines are reported fiscal-year results; dashed lines are the consensus for the years ahead. Hover a year for the analysts' high and low, and how each result compared with its estimate.

ConsensusPRDOLAURCVSA
Forward P/E 10.2xFY2026 18.2xFY2026 14.8xFY2027
EPS, next fiscal year $3.08FY2026 $2.00FY2026 $8.57FY2027
EPS growth, next FY +27.3%FY2026 +16.3%FY2026 +3.9%FY2027
EPS growth, the year after +4.9% +17.0% +24.7%
Revenue, next fiscal year $877.60MFY2026 $2.03BFY2026 $2.11BFY2027
Revenue growth, next FY +3.7%FY2026 +19.6%FY2026 +8.4%FY2027
Revenue growth, the year after -5.8% -4.4% -1.0%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersPRDOLAURCVSA
Held by institutions 100.0% 95.8% 98.0%
Institutions holding 340 337 375
Change in shares held, QoQ +1.9% -3.3% +0.0%
Institutions buying 173 161 201
Institutions selling 113 144 129
Buyers to sellers 1.53 1.12 1.56

Return Correlation

Daily returns, last 12 months

1.00 means two stocks move in lockstep, 0 that they move independently. Pairs below about 0.5 diversify each other.

PRDOLAURCVSA
PRDO 1.00 0.55 0.71
LAUR 0.55 1.00 0.55
CVSA 0.71 0.55 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, PRDO, LAUR and CVSA?

Laureate Education (LAUR) is the largest by market capitalisation: Perdoceo Education (PRDO) $1.97B, Laureate Education (LAUR) $5.05B, Covista (CVSA) $4.48B.

Which stock is cheaper, PRDO, LAUR and CVSA?

Perdoceo Education (PRDO) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Perdoceo Education (PRDO) 11.1x, Laureate Education (LAUR) 15.7x, Covista (CVSA) 17.8x). On next year's consensus earnings, Perdoceo Education (PRDO) is cheapest (Perdoceo Education (PRDO) 10.2x, Laureate Education (LAUR) 18.2x, Covista (CVSA) 14.8x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

Laureate Education (LAUR) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: Perdoceo Education (PRDO) +11.7%, Laureate Education (LAUR) +17.9%, Covista (CVSA) +9.3%.

Which company is more profitable?

Perdoceo Education (PRDO) has the highest net margin (Perdoceo Education (PRDO) 20.6%, Laureate Education (LAUR) 17.6%, Covista (CVSA) 12.9%). On return on invested capital, Laureate Education (LAUR) leads (Laureate Education (LAUR) 24.7%, Covista (CVSA) 15.0%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Laureate Education (LAUR) returned the most: Perdoceo Education (PRDO) -14.2%, Laureate Education (LAUR) +21.8%, Covista (CVSA) -17.9%. Over five years, Covista (CVSA) compounded fastest (Perdoceo Education (PRDO) +24.3%/yr, Laureate Education (LAUR) +16.0%/yr, Covista (CVSA) +27.9%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Only one of these companies pays a dividend: Perdoceo Education (PRDO) 0.02%, Laureate Education (LAUR) 0.00%, Covista (CVSA) 0.00%. Laureate Education (LAUR) and Covista (CVSA) pays no regular dividend.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Laureate Education (LAUR) has been the steadiest (Perdoceo Education (PRDO) 35.9%, Laureate Education (LAUR) 33.2%, Covista (CVSA) 57.4%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, PRDO, LAUR and CVSA?

There is no single answer; it depends on what you are buying for. On the 12 head-to-head measures on this page, Laureate Education (LAUR) leads on 6. Business Quant does not give investment advice; use the comparison as a starting point for your own research.

Data from SEC filings, exchange prices and consensus estimates, via Business Quant. Percentile scores compare each company with its own peer group, so two companies' scores are each relative to different peers unless you rank against the whole market. Price returns exclude dividends. Nothing on this page is investment advice.