Summary of Significant Accounting Policies | Summary of Significant Accounting Policies A summary of the Company’s significant accounting policies follows: Basis of Presentation and Accounting The accompanying unaudited, interim Consolidated Financial Statements have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States, or GAAP. Business Combinations The Company accounts for business combinations in accordance with Financial Accounting Standards Board Accounting Standards Codification 805, Business Combinations , or FASB ASC 805, which requires the acquisition method to be used for all business combinations. Under ASC 805, the assets and liabilities of an acquired company are reported at business fair value along with the fair value of acquired intangible assets at the date of acquisition. Principles of Consolidation The accompanying unaudited interim Consolidated Financial Statements include the accounts of APEI and its wholly owned subsidiaries. All material intercompany transactions and balances have been eliminated in consolidation. Unaudited Interim Consolidated Financial Information The unaudited interim Consolidated Financial Statements do not include all the information and notes required by GAAP for audited annual financial statement presentations. In the opinion of management, these statements include all adjustments (consisting of normal recurring adjustments) considered necessary to present a fair statement of the Company’s financial position, results of operations, and cash flows. Operating results for any interim period are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for future periods, including the year ending December 31, 2024. This Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, or this Quarterly Report, should be read in conjunction with the Consolidated Financial Statements and accompanying notes in its audited financial statements included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023, or the Annual Report. Use of Estimates In preparing financial statements in conformity with GAAP, the Company is required to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements, and the reported amounts of revenue and expenses during the reporting period. The Company evaluates these estimates and judgments on an ongoing basis and bases its estimates on experience, current and expected future conditions and various other assumptions that the Company believes are reasonable under the circumstances. Actual results may differ from those estimates under different assumptions or conditions, and the impact of such differences may be material to the Consolidated Financial Statements. Cash and Cash Equivalents The Company considers all short-term highly liquid investments with maturities of three months or less when purchased to be cash equivalents. Cash and cash equivalents consist of demand deposits with financial institutions, money market funds, and U.S. Treasury bills. Cash and cash equivalents are Level 1 assets in the fair value reporting hierarchy. Restricted Cash Restricted cash includes funds held for students for unbilled educational services that were received from Title IV programs. As a trustee of these Title IV program funds, the Company is required to maintain and restrict these funds pursuant to the terms of the program participation agreement with ED. Restricted cash also includes a $24.9 million restricted certificate of deposit to secure a letter of credit for the benefit of ED on behalf of RU in connection with RU’s 2020 composite score, which is used by ED for determining compliance with financial responsibility standards, being below the minimum required. Restricted cash on the Consolidated Balance Sheets as of June 30, 2024, and December 31, 2023, excluding the restricted certificate of deposit, was $1.5 million and $2.7 million, respectively. Total restricted cash as of June 30, 2024, and December 31, 2023, was $26.4 million and $27.7 million, respectively. Cash and cash equivalents and restricted cash as of June 30, 2024, and December 31, 2023, were as follows (in thousands): As of June 30, 2024 As of December 31, 2023 (Unaudited) Cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash $ 156,191 $ 144,342 Less: restricted cash (26,394) (27,682) Total unrestricted cash $ 129,797 $ 116,660 Assets Held for Sale Assets held for sale represent excess real property located in Charles Town, West Virginia for the Company’s APUS Segment. Long-lived assets are classified as held for sale when the assets are expected to be sold within the next 12 months and meet the other relevant held for sale criteria. As such, the property is recorded at the lower of the carrying value or fair value, less costs to sell, until such time the asset is sold. Goodwill and Intangible Assets Goodwill represents the excess of the purchase price of an acquired business over the amount assigned to the assets acquired and liabilities assumed and the fair value assigned to identifiable intangible assets. Goodwill is not amortized. The Company accounts for goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible assets in accordance with FASB ASC 350, Intangibles Goodwill and Other , and Accounting Standards Update, or ASU, 2017-04, Intangibles – Goodwill and Other (Topic 350) : Simplifying the Test for Goodwill Impairment . The Company’s goodwill and intangible assets are deductible for tax purposes. The Company annually assesses goodwill for impairment in the fourth quarter, or more frequently if events or changes in circumstances indicate that goodwill might be impaired. Goodwill impairment testing consists of an optional qualitative assessment as well as a quantitative test. The quantitative test compares the fair value of a reporting unit to its carrying value. If the carrying value of the reporting unit is greater than zero and its fair value is greater than its carrying amount, there is no impairment. If the carrying value is greater than the fair value, the difference between the two values is recorded as an impairment. Indefinite-lived and finite-lived intangible assets acquired in business combinations are recorded at fair value on the acquisition date. Finite-lived intangible assets are amortized on a straight-line basis over the estimated useful life of the asset. The Company reviews its intangible assets for impairment annually, or more frequently if events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of an asset may not be recoverable. If such assets are not recoverable, an impairment loss is recognized to the extent the carrying amount of the assets exceeds the fair value of the assets. For additional details regarding goodwill and intangible assets, please refer to “Note 5. Goodwill and Intangible Assets” in these Consolidated Financial Statements. Investments The Company accounts for its investments in less than majority owned companies in accordance with FASB ASC 323, Investments – Equity Method and Joint Ventures and FASB ASC 321, Investments – Equity Securities . The Company applies ASC 323 to investments when it can exercise significant influence but does not control the operating and financial policies of the company. This is generally represented by equity ownership of at least 20 percent but not more than 50 percent. Investments accounted for under the equity method are initially recorded at cost and subsequently adjusted by the Company’s share of equity in income or losses after the date of acquisition. The pro rata share of the operating results of the investee is reported in the Consolidated Statements of Income as equity investment income or loss. Investments that do not meet the equity method requirements are accounted for using the cost method under ASC 321 with changes in the fair value of the investment reported in the Consolidated Statements of Income as equity investment income or loss. The Company periodically evaluates its equity method investment for indicators of an other-than-temporary impairment. Factors the Company considers when evaluating for an other-than-temporary impairment include the duration and severity of the impairment, the reasons for the decline in value, and the potential recovery period. For an investee with impairment indicators, the Company measures fair value based on discounted cash flows or other appropriate valuation methods. If it is probable that the Company will not recover the carrying amount of the investment, the impairment is considered other-than-temporary and recorded in equity investment income or loss, and the equity investment balance is reduced to its fair value accordingly. In each reporting period, the Company evaluates its cost method investment for observable price changes. Factors the Company may consider when evaluating an observable price change may include significant changes in the regulatory, economic or technological environment, changes in general market conditions, bona fide offers to purchase or sell similar investments, and other criteria. Management must exercise significant judgment in evaluating the potential impairment of its equity investments. During the first quarter of 2024, the Company evaluated its equity investments for indicators of impairment and concluded the fair value of the cost method investment was less than its carrying amount. As a result, during the three months ended March 31, 2024, the Company recorded an investment loss of $3.3 million on a 2015 cost method investment, which is included in equity investment loss in the Consolidated Statements of Income and is due to the investee entering into a new convertible debt agreement that resulted in the conversion of the Company’s preferred stock holdings in the investee into common shares, and the dilution of the Company’s ownership percentage. The investment loss recorded reduced the book value of the cost method investment to zero. During the second quarter of 2024, the Company sold its remaining equity method investment back to the investee, as it was no longer considered a strategic investment. As a result, during the three months ended June 30, 2024, the Company recorded an investment loss of $1.1 million on a 2013 equity method investment, which is included in equity investment loss in the Consolidated Statements of Income. The investment loss recorded reduced the book value of the equity method investment to zero, and at June 30, 2024, the Company no longer has any investments accounted for under ASC 323 and ASC 321. At December 31, 2023, the Company’s equity investments were included in Other assets, net on the accompanying Consolidated Balance Sheets. Stock-based Compensation The Company accounts for stock-based compensation in accordance with FASB ASC 718, Stock Compensation , which requires companies to expense share-based compensation based on fair value. Stock-based payments may include incentive stock options or non-qualified stock options, stock appreciation rights, restricted stock, restricted stock units, dividend equivalent rights, performance shares, performance units, cash-based awards, other stock-based awards, including unrestricted shares, or any combination of the foregoing. Stock-based compensation cost is recognized as expense generally over a three-year vesting period using the straight-line method for employees and the graded-vesting method for members of the Company’s Board of Directors, or the Board. It is measured using the Company’s closing stock price on the date of the grant. An accelerated one-year period is used to recognize stock-based compensation cost for employees who have reached certain service and retirement eligibility criteria on the date of grant. The fair value of each option award is estimated at the date of grant using a Black-Scholes option-pricing model that uses certain assumptions. The Company makes assumptions with respect to expected stock price volatility based on the average historical volatility of the Company’s common stock. In addition, the Company determines the risk-free interest rate by selecting the U.S. Treasury constant maturity for the same maturity as the estimated life of the option quoted on an investment basis in effect at the time of grant for that business day. Judgment is required in estimating the percentage of share-based awards that are expected to vest, and in the case of performance stock units, or PSUs, the level of performance that will be achieved and the number of shares that will be earned. The Company estimates forfeitures of share-based awards at the time of grant and revises such estimates in subsequent periods if actual forfeitures differ from original estimates. The forfeiture assumption is ultimately adjusted to the actual forfeiture rate. If actual results differ significantly from these estimates, stock-based compensation expense could be higher or lower and have a material impact on the Company’s Consolidated Financial Statements. Estimates of fair value are subjective and are not intended to predict actual future events, and subsequent events are not indicative of the reasonableness of the original estimates of fair value made under ASC 718. Stock-based compensation expense for the three months ended June 30, 2024, and 2023 was as follows (in thousands): Three Months Ended June 30, Six Months Ended June 30, 2024 2023 2024 2023 (Unaudited) (Unaudited) Instructional costs and services $ 197 $ 258 $ 420 $ 537 Selling and promotional 130 188 269 417 General and administrative 1,496 1,622 3,052 3,338 Total stock-based compensation expense $ 1,823 $ 2,068 $ 3,741 $ 4,292 Incentive-based Compensation The Company provides incentive-based compensation opportunities to certain employees through cash incentive and equity awards. The expense associated with these awards is reflected within the Company’s operating expenses. For the years ending December 31, 2024, and 2023, the Management Development and Compensation Committee of the Board approved annual incentive arrangements for senior management employees. The aggregate amount of awards payable, if any, is dependent upon the achievement of certain Company financial and operational goals and the satisfaction of individual performance goals. Given that the awards are generally contingent upon achieving annual objectives, final determination of the current year incentive awards cannot be made until after the results for the year are finalized. The Company recognizes the estimated fair value of performance-based restricted stock units by assuming the satisfaction of any performance-based objectives at the “target” level, which is the most probable outcome determined for accounting purposes at the time of grant and multiplying the corresponding number of shares earned based upon such achievement by the closing price of the Company’s stock on the date of grant. To the extent performance goals are not met, compensation cost is not ultimately recognized against the goals and, to the extent previously recognized, compensation cost is reversed. Amounts accrued are subject to change in future interim periods if actual future financial results or operational performance are better or worse than expected. During the three and six months ended June 30, 2024, the Company recognized an aggregate incentive-based compensation expense of $1.9 million and $3.8 million, respectively, compared to an aggregate expense of $1.8 million and $3.8 million for the three and six months ended June 30, 2023, respectively. Income Taxes The Company accounts for income taxes in accordance with FASB ASC 740, Accounting for Income Taxes . The Company determines its interim tax provision by applying the estimated income tax rate expected for the full calendar year to income before income taxes for the period adjusted for discrete items. For the three and six months ended June 30, 2023, the Company elected to utilize the actual effective tax rate as allowed by FASB ASC 740, Accounting for Income Taxes . The Company calculated the interim tax provision for the three and six months ended June 30, 2023, as if it was the annual period and determined the income tax expense or benefit on that basis. The Company believed that the actual effective tax rate for the three and six months ended June 30, 2023, was a better estimate than the annual effective tax rate, as the annual effective tax rate method was highly sensitive to insignificant changes to estimated annual income tax expense or benefit. Recent Accounting Pronouncements The Company considers the applicability and impact of all ASUs issued by the FASB. All ASUs issued subsequent to the filing of the Annual Report on March 5, 2024, were assessed and determined to be either inapplicable or not expected to have a material impact on the Company’s consolidated financial position and/or results of operations. |