Lincoln Educational Services Co. (NASDAQ:LINC) Sees Large Increase in Short Interest

Lincoln Educational Services Co. (NASDAQ:LINC) was the target of a large growth in short interest during the month of October. As of October 15th, there was short interest totalling 278,400 shares, a growth of 6.3% from the September 30th total of 261,800 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 90,500 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 3.1 days.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Lincoln Educational Services news, major shareholder Juniper Investment Company, Ll sold 19,611 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $12.02, for a total value of $235,724.22. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 876,410 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,534,448.20. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders have sold 40,819 shares of company stock valued at $490,481 in the last 90 days. 16.80% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lincoln Educational Services

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in LINC. Gladius Capital Management LP acquired a new stake in shares of Lincoln Educational Services in the second quarter valued at about $33,000. SG Americas Securities LLC acquired a new position in shares of Lincoln Educational Services during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $121,000. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company bought a new stake in shares of Lincoln Educational Services during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $123,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets boosted its holdings in shares of Lincoln Educational Services by 60.2% in the 1st quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 11,218 shares of the company’s stock valued at $116,000 after buying an additional 4,217 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Rhumbline Advisers grew its stake in shares of Lincoln Educational Services by 36.0% in the second quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 38,162 shares of the company’s stock valued at $453,000 after buying an additional 10,095 shares in the last quarter. 72.23% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. StockNews.com lowered Lincoln Educational Services from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 9th. Barrington Research restated an “outperform” rating and set a $16.00 target price on shares of Lincoln Educational Services in a report on Friday, September 20th. Finally, Rosenblatt Securities upped their price target on shares of Lincoln Educational Services from $15.00 to $17.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, August 9th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $15.75.

Lincoln Educational Services Stock Down 0.7 %

NASDAQ:LINC opened at $13.28 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $12.25 and a 200 day simple moving average of $11.89. Lincoln Educational Services has a 52-week low of $8.40 and a 52-week high of $14.52. The company has a market cap of $417.99 million, a PE ratio of 15.62, a PEG ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 1.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17, a quick ratio of 1.75 and a current ratio of 1.78.

Lincoln Educational Services (NASDAQ:LINC) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 8th. The company reported $0.06 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.01) by $0.07. The company had revenue of $102.91 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $99.60 million. Lincoln Educational Services had a net margin of 1.95% and a return on equity of 10.38%. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Lincoln Educational Services will post 0.51 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.