Why Apollo Group Shares Received Clearance for Takeoff

Although we don't believe in timing the market or panicking over market movements, we do like to keep an eye on big changes -- just in case they're material to our investing thesis.

What: Shares of Apollo Group , a for-profit college operator best known for the University of Phoenix, jumped as much as 10% following the announcement via CNBC that it received a letter from the HLC Institutional Actions Council that recommended reaffirming the accreditation of the University of Phoenix for another 10 years.

So what: Becoming an accredited institution is the first step toward receiving government funds for these for-profit institutions. With government scrutiny growing in this sector regarding how these post-secondary schools are marketing to prospective students and putting undue debt burdens on students, accreditation is no longer a given. Today's news merely reaffirms Apollo's position as a leader among its peers.

Now what: However, before you get too excited, keep in mind that those same government regulations that have allowed Apollo to perform better than many of its peers also will constrain its bottom line profits for years to come. College enrollments have weakened for multiple quarters as the cost of its education services are becoming difficult to justify. As such, even way off its all-time highs, I'd keep a safe distance from most of the sector, including Apollo.

Craving more input? Start by adding Apollo Group to your free and personalized Watchlist so you can keep up on the latest news on the company.

Another company potentially cleared for takeoff
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The article Why Apollo Group Shares Received Clearance for Takeoff originally appeared on Fool.com.

Fool contributor Sean Williams has no material interest in any companies mentioned in this article. You can follow him on CAPS under the screen name TMFUltraLong, track every pick he makes under the screen name TrackUltraLong, and check him out on Twitter, where he goes by the handle @TMFUltraLong.Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

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