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Aspen Group Inc (ASPU)
OTHER OTC:ASPU
US Market

Aspen Group (ASPU) AI Stock Analysis

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ASPU

Aspen Group

(OTC:ASPU)

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Outperform 70 (OpenAI - 5.2)
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Outperform 70 (OpenAI - 5.2)
,
Outperform 70 (OpenAI - 5.2)
,
Outperform 70 (OpenAI - 5.2)
,
Outperform 70 (OpenAI - 5.2)
,
Outperform 70 (OpenAI - 5.2)
,
Outperform 70 (OpenAI - 5.2)
,
Outperform 70 (OpenAI - 5.2)
,
Outperform 70 (OpenAI - 5.2)
,
Outperform 70 (OpenAI - 5.2)
Rating:70Outperform
Price Target:
$0.25
▲(24.00% Upside)
Action:ReiteratedDate:03/21/26
The score is driven by a clear financial turnaround (profitability and improving leverage) and very favorable valuation (extremely low P/E). These positives are tempered by declining revenue trends, weaker cash conversion, and overbought technical conditions that elevate near-term volatility risk.
Positive Factors
Margin Recovery
Sustained high gross margin and healthy operating/net margins indicate a scalable online education model with operating leverage. Over 2–6 months, these margins support persistent profitability and the ability to absorb marketing or content investments without immediate margin erosion.
Improved Leverage & ROE
Meaningful reduction in leverage and a near-20% ROE reflect stronger capital structure and more efficient equity use. This improves financial flexibility, lowers refinancing risk, and supports durable capacity to fund growth or weather shocks in the medium term.
Positive Cash Generation
Conversion to positive operating and free cash flow provides sustainable internal funding for operations, program investment, and debt service. Over coming months this improves liquidity and reduces reliance on external financing for routine needs.
Negative Factors
Revenue Declines
Multi-year top-line contraction undermines the durability of recent profit gains, suggesting results are driven more by cost cuts than demand expansion. Without stabilizing or reversing enrollment trends, earnings could be harder to sustain long term.
Weak Cash Conversion
Low cash conversion means reported profits are not translating reliably to cash, limiting the firm's ability to reinvest or build reserves. This structural gap raises vulnerability if margins compress or working capital needs increase over the medium term.
Residual Leverage Risk
Despite improvement, meaningful outstanding debt leaves the company exposed to earnings volatility. If enrollment or margins weaken, interest and principal obligations could constrain flexibility and force tradeoffs between growth investment and deleveraging.

Aspen Group (ASPU) vs. SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY)

Aspen Group Business Overview & Revenue Model

Company DescriptionAspen Group, Inc. (ASPU) is an education-focused company that operates primarily in the online higher education sector. It provides a range of degree programs and educational services through its subsidiaries, which include Aspen University and the United States University. Aspen Group aims to deliver affordable, accredited education with a focus on serving adult learners and working professionals seeking to advance their careers through flexible online learning options.
How the Company Makes MoneyAspen Group makes money primarily by charging students for enrollment in its online degree and certificate programs. Revenue is generated from tuition and related educational fees paid by students (often structured as periodic payments over the course of a program rather than a single upfront payment), and from program-specific charges associated with its academic offerings. A significant driver of revenue has been demand for nursing and healthcare-related programs, where students pay for instruction delivered via the company’s online learning model and, where applicable, for associated program components (e.g., required experiential elements administered through the school). Material revenue contributions from specific external partnerships, licensing arrangements, or non-tuition business lines are null.

Aspen Group Earnings Call Summary

Earnings Call Date:Jan 18, 2024
(Q2-2024)
|
% Change Since: |
Next Earnings Date:Jul 14, 2026
Earnings Call Sentiment Positive
The earnings call reflects a positive sentiment with significant financial improvements, enrollment growth, and improved NCLEX pass rates despite revenue challenges and legal settlement costs.
Q2-2024 Updates
Positive Updates
Reduced Net Loss
Net loss narrowed by 30% year-over-year, demonstrating financial discipline and effective cost management.
Positive EBITDA
Achieved fourth consecutive quarter of positive EBITDA, with a cumulative positive EBITDA of approximately $2.7 million over the past four quarters.
Cash Generation and Liquidity
Generated over $400,000 of cash from operations and projected unrestricted cash balance exceeding $2 million by the end of January 2024.
Enrollment Growth
Enrollments increased by 5% year-over-year and 34% sequentially, reflecting strong demand for postgraduate nursing degrees.
Improved NCLEX Pass Rates
NCLEX first-time pass rate in Arizona increased to 89%, with similar success in Texas and Tennessee.
Cost Control Measures
Year-over-year G&A expense down 23% due to cost control efforts and restructuring in previous fiscal quarters.
Negative Updates
Revenue Decrease
Total revenue decreased by 19% year-over-year, mainly due to the teach-out of the pre-licensure program and lower marketing spend.
Legal Settlement Costs
Final settlement of $550,000 approved for class action complaint in Arizona, with $50,000 paid by Aspen University.
Heightened Cash Management Status
Aspen University remains on Heightened Cash Management 2 status, impacting the timing of federal financial aid reimbursements.
Company Guidance
During the Aspen Group's second quarter fiscal year 2024 earnings call, executives provided detailed guidance on the company's financial and operational performance. The company reported a notable 30% year-over-year reduction in net loss and achieved positive EBITDA for the fourth consecutive quarter. Enrollments rose by 34% sequentially, driven by strong demand in the healthcare sector, particularly for postgraduate nursing degrees. Despite a 19% decrease in total revenue to $13.8 million, attributed largely to the teach-out of the pre-licensure program, gross margin improved to 63%, up from 60% the previous year. The quarter saw a decrease in G&A expenses by 23% and a marked reduction in marketing spend, contributing to a positive cash flow from operations of $409,000. The company anticipates an unrestricted cash balance exceeding $2 million by the end of January 2024, bolstered by a significant financial aid payment of approximately $3.9 million. Additionally, Aspen University reported an 89% first-time NCLEX pass rate in Arizona, reflecting improved academic performance. However, the company withheld specific guidance for future quarters.

Aspen Group Financial Statement Overview

Summary
Strong profitability turnaround with solid TTM margins and improved leverage/ROE, plus positive operating and free cash flow. Offsetting this are multi-year revenue declines and weak cash conversion versus earnings, which raises durability risk.
Income Statement
72
Positive
Profitability has improved sharply, with TTM (Trailing-Twelve-Months) showing solid gross margin (~71%) and healthy operating and net margins (~17% and ~14%), a major turnaround from large losses in 2021–2024 and a small loss in 2025. The key weakness is growth: revenue has been shrinking for several years and remains slightly down in TTM, suggesting the earnings rebound is coming more from cost/efficiency gains than top-line momentum.
Balance Sheet
68
Positive
Leverage has moderated meaningfully: debt-to-equity has improved from ~0.98 (2023) to ~0.56 in TTM (Trailing-Twelve-Months), and equity has grown versus 2024–2025. Returns also strengthened, with TTM return on equity around 19% following several years of deeply negative levels. The main drawback is the balance sheet still carries meaningful debt, and the business only recently returned to sustained profitability, which can make the capital structure more sensitive if results soften.
Cash Flow
57
Neutral
Cash generation has turned positive, with TTM (Trailing-Twelve-Months) operating cash flow (~$2.5M) and free cash flow (~$1.9M) improving, and free cash flow growth strong. However, cash conversion remains a concern: operating cash flow is low relative to reported earnings (about 11% of net income in TTM), indicating profits are not yet translating into cash as consistently as desired.
BreakdownTTMJul 2025Apr 2024Apr 2023Apr 2022Apr 2021
Income Statement
Total Revenue44.62M45.30M51.40M66.32M76.69M67.81M
Gross Profit31.78M30.06M31.44M35.53M41.44M38.36M
EBITDA10.08M2.94M-4.80M-1.85M-5.07M-5.94M
Net Income6.13M-1.54M-13.58M-8.35M-9.59M-10.45M
Balance Sheet
Total Assets66.67M66.77M75.95M80.87M91.07M80.81M
Cash, Cash Equivalents and Short-Term Investments950.79K1.07M2.62M5.72M6.48M13.67M
Total Debt18.83M22.43M26.67M35.00M33.72M18.33M
Total Liabilities33.15M35.80M43.67M45.32M48.52M31.72M
Stockholders Equity33.53M30.97M32.28M35.55M42.55M49.09M
Cash Flow
Free Cash Flow1.85M233.72K-4.81M-7.00M-15.61M-7.99M
Operating Cash Flow2.48M1.19M-3.66M-4.40M-11.28M985.58K
Investing Cash Flow-694.11K-1.02M-1.33M-2.60M-4.33M-8.98M
Financing Cash Flow-2.00M-1.72M1.89M-190.47K14.86M3.75M

Aspen Group Technical Analysis

Technical Analysis Sentiment
Positive
Last Price0.20
Price Trends
50DMA
0.15
Positive
100DMA
0.14
Positive
200DMA
0.11
Positive
Market Momentum
MACD
0.01
Negative
RSI
75.90
Negative
STOCH
79.54
Neutral
Evaluating momentum and price trends is crucial in stock analysis to make informed investment decisions. For ASPU, the sentiment is Positive. The current price of 0.2 is above the 20-day moving average (MA) of 0.16, above the 50-day MA of 0.15, and above the 200-day MA of 0.11, indicating a bullish trend. The MACD of 0.01 indicates Negative momentum. The RSI at 75.90 is Negative, neither overbought nor oversold. The STOCH value of 79.54 is Neutral, not indicating any strong overbought or oversold conditions. Overall, these indicators collectively point to a Positive sentiment for ASPU.

Aspen Group Risk Analysis

Aspen Group disclosed 64 risk factors in its most recent earnings report. Aspen Group reported the most risks in the "Legal & Regulatory" category.
Finance & Corporate - Financial and accounting risks. Risks related to the execution of corporate activity and strategy
Latest Risks Added 0 New Risks

Aspen Group Peers Comparison

Overall Rating
UnderperformOutperform
Sector (62)
Financial Indicators
Name
Overall Rating
Market Cap
P/E Ratio
ROE
Dividend Yield
Revenue Growth
EPS Growth
76
Outperform
$3.62B7.0521.36%17.25%30.15%
75
Outperform
$1.83B14.057.66%2.99%3.74%-8.40%
71
Outperform
$990.52M21.5711.20%6.75%141.11%
70
Outperform
$5.73M0.7812.44%-1.19%
62
Neutral
$20.33B14.63-3.31%3.23%1.93%-12.26%
62
Neutral
$1.19B14.7110.75%16.90%41.11%
* Consumer Defensive Sector Average
Performance Comparison
Ticker
Company Name
Price
Change
% Change
ASPU
Aspen Group
0.23
0.08
60.71%
APEI
American Public Education
53.89
30.86
134.00%
LRN
Stride
85.06
-40.32
-32.16%
LINC
Lincoln Edu
37.42
21.64
137.14%
STRA
Strategic Education
80.72
0.10
0.12%
Glossary
BuyA stock rated as a "Buy" is expected to perform better than the overall market or a specific benchmark over the near-to-medium term. This rating suggests the stock is likely to deliver higher returns compared to other stocks in the same sector or market index. Note: This is not investment advice; please consult a financial advisor before making investment decisions.
HoldA stock rated as a "Hold" is expected to perform in line with the overall market or a specific benchmark. This rating indicates that the stock is neither particularly compelling nor unfavorable for investment. Note: This is not investment advice; please consult a financial advisor before making investment decisions.
SellA stock rated as a "Sell" is expected to perform worse than the overall market or a specific benchmark over the near-to-medium term. This rating suggests the stock may deliver lower returns compared to other stocks in the same sector or market index. Note: This is not investment advice; please consult a financial advisor before making investment decisions.

Disclaimer

This AI Analyst Stock Report is automatically generated by our AI systems using advanced algorithms and publicly available financial, technical, and market data. While the information provided aims to be accurate and insightful, it is intended for informational purposes only and should not be considered financial advice. Any content created by an AI (Artificial Intelligence) system may contain inaccuracies and/or contain errors. Investing in stocks carries inherent risks, and past performance is not indicative of future results. This report does not account for your personal financial circumstances, objectives, or risk tolerance. Always conduct your own research or consult with a qualified financial advisor before making investment decisions. The analysis and recommendations provided are based on historical and current data and may not fully reflect future market conditions or unexpected developments. Neither the creators of this report nor its affiliated entities guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of the information presented. Use this report at your own discretion and risk.Date of analysis: Mar 21, 2026