Lincoln Educational Services (NASDAQ:LINC) Rating Lowered to Hold at StockNews.com

Lincoln Educational Services (NASDAQ:LINC) was downgraded by stock analysts at StockNews.com from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report issued on Wednesday.

LINC has been the subject of several other research reports. Lake Street Capital lifted their price target on Lincoln Educational Services from $14.00 to $15.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday. B. Riley raised their price objective on Lincoln Educational Services from $14.00 to $15.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday. Barrington Research raised their price objective on Lincoln Educational Services from $13.00 to $14.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday. Finally, Rosenblatt Securities reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $13.50 price objective on shares of Lincoln Educational Services in a report on Monday, April 29th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $14.38.

Lincoln Educational Services Stock Performance

NASDAQ:LINC traded up $0.65 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $12.55. The company had a trading volume of 347,649 shares, compared to its average volume of 93,758. The firm has a market cap of $394.70 million, a PE ratio of 14.59, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.80 and a beta of 1.33. Lincoln Educational Services has a 1-year low of $5.70 and a 1-year high of $13.03. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $10.23 and its 200-day moving average price is $9.72. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10, a current ratio of 1.83 and a quick ratio of 1.79.

Lincoln Educational Services (NASDAQ:LINC) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 26th. The company reported $0.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.28 by $0.04. Lincoln Educational Services had a net margin of 6.88% and a return on equity of 9.63%. The firm had revenue of $102.52 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $97.78 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.32 earnings per share. Research analysts forecast that Lincoln Educational Services will post 0.41 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Lincoln Educational Services

In other news, Director J Barry Morrow sold 5,252 shares of Lincoln Educational Services stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $10.08, for a total value of $52,940.16. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 122,911 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,238,942.88. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other news, Director J Barry Morrow sold 5,252 shares of Lincoln Educational Services stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $10.08, for a total value of $52,940.16. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 122,911 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,238,942.88. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, major shareholder Juniper Investment Company, Ll sold 286,997 shares of Lincoln Educational Services stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $9.97, for a total value of $2,861,360.09. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 996,811 shares in the company, valued at $9,938,205.67. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 583,692 shares of company stock valued at $5,858,793. Company insiders own 16.80% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Lincoln Educational Services

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. First Eagle Investment Management LLC raised its position in Lincoln Educational Services by 13.9% in the fourth quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 539,776 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,419,000 after purchasing an additional 65,982 shares during the period. Pacific Ridge Capital Partners LLC raised its position in Lincoln Educational Services by 27.2% in the third quarter. Pacific Ridge Capital Partners LLC now owns 506,990 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,284,000 after purchasing an additional 108,550 shares during the period. Essex Investment Management Co. LLC raised its position in Lincoln Educational Services by 1.4% in the first quarter. Essex Investment Management Co. LLC now owns 420,360 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,342,000 after purchasing an additional 5,832 shares during the period. Rice Hall James & Associates LLC raised its position in Lincoln Educational Services by 29.2% in the first quarter. Rice Hall James & Associates LLC now owns 258,515 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,670,000 after purchasing an additional 58,369 shares during the period. Finally, EAM Investors LLC purchased a new stake in Lincoln Educational Services in the third quarter valued at $1,752,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 72.23% of the company’s stock.

About Lincoln Educational Services

Lincoln Educational Services Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, provides various career-oriented post-secondary education services to high school graduates and working adults in the United States. The company operates in two segments, Campus Operations and Transitional. It offers associate's degree, and diploma and certificate programs in automotive technology; skilled trades programs, including electrical, heating and air conditioning repair, welding, computerized numerical control, and electrical and electronic systems technology; health science programs comprising licensed practical nurse, registered nurse, dental assistant, medical assistant, medical administrative assistant, and claims examiner; hospitality service and information technology programs, such as culinary, therapeutic massage, cosmetology, aesthetics, and computer systems support technicians.