Comparing Phoenix Education Partners (NYSE:PXED) & Leifras (NASDAQ:LFS)

Leifras (NASDAQ:LFS) and Phoenix Education Partners (NYSE:PXED) are both small-cap services companies, but which is the better stock? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their dividends, valuation, risk, institutional ownership, analyst recommendations, earnings and profitability.

Profitability

This table compares Leifras and Phoenix Education Partners’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Leifras	N/A	N/A	N/A
Phoenix Education Partners	N/A	N/A	N/A

Earnings & Valuation

This table compares Leifras and Phoenix Education Partners”s revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Leifras	$65.64 million	1.13	$2.66 million	$0.05	59.40
Phoenix Education Partners	$1.01 billion	1.00	$133.88 million	$1.04	27.08

Phoenix Education Partners has higher revenue and earnings than Leifras. Phoenix Education Partners is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Leifras, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Analyst Ratings

This is a breakdown of recent ratings for Leifras and Phoenix Education Partners, as reported by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Leifras	1	0	0	0	1.00
Phoenix Education Partners	0	1	3	1	3.00

Phoenix Education Partners has a consensus price target of $44.00, suggesting a potential upside of 56.25%. Given Phoenix Education Partners’ stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe Phoenix Education Partners is more favorable than Leifras.

Summary

Phoenix Education Partners beats Leifras on 7 of the 9 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Leifras

Headquartered in Shibuya-ku, Tokyo, we are a sports and social business company dedicated to youth sports and community engagement. We primarily provide services related to the organization and operations of sports schools and sports events for children. Building upon our experience and know-how in sports education, we also operate a robust social business sector, dispatching sports coaches to meet various community needs. At the core of our operations is the children’s sports school business. When we refer to a sports school, it refers to a series of courses and programs that we offer to teach a sport, instead of a physical location. As of December 31, 2024, we were recognized as one of Japan’s largest operators of children’s sports schools in terms of both membership and facilities. As of the date of this prospectus, we hold our sports classes at more than 4,500 facility locations in Japan nationwide, serving over 62,400 members. The number of members is based on the number of students taking classes; if a student is enrolled in two different classes, this student is counted as two members. We provide 13 sports schools, from soccer school “Liberta” and basketball school “Porte,” to rhythmic karate school “Quore” and kendo school “Kokoro.” We also offer classes that cater to the various needs of different age groups and sports capability levels. For instance, our “JJMIX” classes offer beginners from the age of two and up the opportunity to experience multiple sports, and our “Rugina” classes are designed specifically for girls. Approximately 87% of our sports school members are elementary school students, with additional programs for preschoolers, nursery school children, kindergarteners, and junior high school students. These classes are taught by professional coaches who bring their expertise and passion to each session, ensuring that students receive high-quality coaching in safe environments. Our sports school business also extends to sports merchandise sales and commissioned special guidance services. Our approach to sports education emphasizes the development of non-cognitive skills, which are crucial for success both inside and outside the sports arena. Following our teaching principle “acknowledge, praise, encourage, and motivate,” our classes integrate non-cognitive skills, such as motivation, teamwork, strategic thinking, and sportsmanship, into our sports curriculum. For instance, our soccer program focuses on developing technical skills, tactical understanding, and teamwork, and our martial arts programs in karate and kendo promote physical fitness and self-discipline. Our holistic approach integrates physical and mental development, setting us apart in the industry. Building upon our experience and know-how in sports education, our social business mainly dispatches sports coaches to meet various community needs. Our school club support business provides sports coaching in school club activities and physical education classes and coordinates collaborations between school clubs and private companies. Our LEIF after-school daycare service supports children with disabilities or developmental characteristics through soccer therapy, promoting independence and improving life skills. Our involvement also extends to facility management services at public sports facilities, focusing on providing sports coaching for people of all ages. Our elderly healthcare initiative offers exercise programs for the elderly, including exercise instruction such as preventive nursing care exercises, yoga, and other health promotion services at community centers and healthcare facilities. By addressing these diverse needs, we aim to promote physical health, social inclusion, and community well-being across different demographics. Our headquarters are located in Tokyo, Japan.

About Phoenix Education Partners

Our Mission To provide access to higher education opportunities that enable students to develop the knowledge and skills necessary to achieve their professional goals, improve the performance of their organizations and provide leadership and service to their communities. We are a mission-driven organization operating at the forefront of the rapidly evolving post-secondary education market. As one of the largest online education providers and a pioneer in our field, we benefit from the dynamic interplay between technological innovation, education, employment and economic trends. The demands of the modern workforce are continually shifting, and we are focused on transforming the way individuals achieve their educational and career aspirations while balancing the unique demands of being an adult learner. We are focused on delivering a personalized, career-relevant and affordable education to our students through our flexible learning model, skills-aligned curriculum and accessible tuition costs. We have created purpose-built platforms that leverage an artificial intelligence (“AI”)-ready data infrastructure and technology stack to enhance the student experience, increase student success and improve the connectivity between students, educators and employers. The University of Phoenix was founded in 1976 and has been continuously accredited since 1978 by the Higher Learning Commission (“HLC”), an institutional accrediting agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. In our nearly five decades of operation, we have served more than 1.1 million alumni (including those who have completed non-degree certificates) and conferred nearly 1.3 million degrees. According to Forbes, we were the university with the highest number of graduates employed at the top 20 Fortune 500 companies as of September 2021. Our student body consists primarily of working adults seeking to advance their careers. Adult learners represent an attractive and growing sub-segment of the higher education market. However, they face unique challenges that are not addressed by traditional programs designed for 18- to 22-year-olds, including the time constraints and responsibilities of work, community and caring for dependents. As a result, these students can significantly benefit from an education solution tailored to their needs. We are dedicated to these adult learners, and we are constantly evolving the flexible, asynchronous learning models and the robust technology solutions designed to meet their unique needs. We believe we provide a differentiated value proposition to both students and employers. Both inside and outside of the classroom, our purpose is to help our students achieve their educational and career goals and to assist employers in upskilling their employees. For the fiscal year ended August 31, 2024, the University’s Average Total Degreed Enrollment was 78,900, including 64,100 undergraduate and 14,800 graduate students. During the first nine months of fiscal year 2025, Average Total Degreed Enrollment increased to 82,700. Students either enroll at the University independently or have the option to enroll through one of our more than 2,500 employer relationships. Many of our students receive discounted tuition benefits under programs offered through our employer relationships, which are classified as business-to-business, or “B2B,” enrollment. These include students who enroll in the University through employer-provided programs, as well as students who enroll independently but are employees of employers with whom we have an employer relationship. We view B2B enrollments as a significant opportunity for further growth. B2B enrollments represented 13,300 Average Total Degreed Enrollment (20% of the University’s Average Total Degreed Enrollment) in fiscal year 2022 and 23,300 Average Total Degreed Enrollment (30% of the University’s Average Total Degreed Enrollment) in fiscal year 2024, reflecting a 32% CAGR. The University currently offers 72 degree-granting and 33 non-degree certificate programs across a wide range of disciplines. Our degree-granting programs represented approximately 97% of our net revenue for fiscal year 2024 and serve a diverse set of students who are seeking to improve their career opportunities: Average Total Degreed Enrollment by degree type for fiscal year 2024: • Bachelor’s: 70% • Master’s: 16% • Associate’s: 11% • Doctoral: 3% Degree completions by discipline for fiscal year 2024: • Business and IT: 63% • Health Professions: 15% • Social and Behavioral Sciences: 12% • Education: 4% • Nursing: 4% • Doctoral Studies: 2% • General Studies: less than 1% Of the University’s enrollment during fiscal year 2024, subject to data availability for each metric: • 76% are currently employed; • 95% of new students are over the age of 22, with an average age of 37; • 64% care for dependents at home; • 61% are first-generation college students; • 62% of students who completed an optional survey identify as members of a minority group; and • 71% are female. Our non-degree offerings for students and employers represent the remaining portion of net revenue and are a growing priority for the University. These non-degree offerings include shorter credit-bearing certificates and non-credit professional development courses that provide students with critical skills for career advancement and benefit employers by upskilling their employees. We are also developing new talent solutions programs for employers, including: (i) Talent Source, a talent-sourcing platform that connects employers with students whose skills profiles align with job postings and (ii) Skillmore, an AI-powered tool that scans an employer’s inventory of sought-after skills and designs development pathways to internal job opportunities. We were organized under the laws of the State of Delaware as a limited partnership on January 9, 2014 and will be converted to a corporation under the laws of the State of Delaware prior to closing of this offering as part of the Reorganization Transactions. Our principal executive offices are located in Phoenix, AZ.