Lincoln Educational Services (NASDAQ:LINC) Sets New 1-Year High After Strong Earnings

Lincoln Educational Services Co. (NASDAQ:LINC)’s stock price hit a new 52-week high on Monday following a stronger than expected earnings report. The company traded as high as $19.79 and last traded at $18.28, with a volume of 77297 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $16.09.

The company reported $0.31 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.20 by $0.11. Lincoln Educational Services had a net margin of 2.33% and a return on equity of 10.60%. The firm had revenue of $119.37 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $110.50 million.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently weighed in on LINC shares. Barrington Research restated an “outperform” rating and set a $20.00 target price on shares of Lincoln Educational Services in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. B. Riley increased their price objective on Lincoln Educational Services from $15.00 to $20.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 7th. Finally, Rosenblatt Securities boosted their target price on shares of Lincoln Educational Services from $20.00 to $24.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $19.75.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, major shareholder Juniper Investment Company, Ll sold 61,289 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $16.19, for a total value of $992,268.91. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 425,544 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,889,557.36. This trade represents a 12.59 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 16.80% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lincoln Educational Services

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Lincoln Educational Services by 1.1% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 1,418,725 shares of the company’s stock worth $22,444,000 after acquiring an additional 14,772 shares during the period. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. lifted its stake in Lincoln Educational Services by 43.1% during the fourth quarter. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. now owns 1,123,143 shares of the company’s stock worth $17,768,000 after purchasing an additional 338,495 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its holdings in Lincoln Educational Services by 5.0% during the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,071,560 shares of the company’s stock valued at $16,952,000 after purchasing an additional 51,430 shares in the last quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in Lincoln Educational Services by 5.2% during the fourth quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 833,093 shares of the company’s stock valued at $13,180,000 after purchasing an additional 41,442 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Renaissance Technologies LLC grew its stake in shares of Lincoln Educational Services by 6.5% in the 4th quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 690,378 shares of the company’s stock valued at $10,922,000 after purchasing an additional 42,000 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 72.23% of the company’s stock.

Lincoln Educational Services Stock Performance

The company has a current ratio of 1.57, a quick ratio of 1.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17. The firm has a market capitalization of $555.92 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 55.19, a PEG ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 1.41. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $16.19 and a 200-day moving average price of $14.46.

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.