Lincoln Educational Services (NASDAQ:LINC) Hits New 12-Month High – What’s Next?

Lincoln Educational Services Corporation (NASDAQ:LINC) hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $27.14 and last traded at $27.2230, with a volume of 328028 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $25.43.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on LINC. Zacks Research raised Lincoln Educational Services from a “strong sell” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, January 12th. Barrington Research reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $27.00 price objective on shares of Lincoln Educational Services in a report on Monday, December 1st. Northland Securities set a $28.00 target price on shares of Lincoln Educational Services in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Lincoln Educational Services in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Lincoln Educational Services from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, December 13th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have issued a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $26.20.

Lincoln Educational Services Price Performance

The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $23.05 and its 200-day moving average price is $21.92. The company has a quick ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21. The stock has a market capitalization of $861.12 million, a PE ratio of 60.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.07 and a beta of 0.99.

Lincoln Educational Services (NASDAQ:LINC) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, November 10th. The company reported $0.20 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.12 by $0.08. The company had revenue of $141.39 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $129.85 million. Lincoln Educational Services had a net margin of 2.86% and a return on equity of 12.20%. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Lincoln Educational Services Corporation will post 0.54 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Kevin M. Carney sold 13,866 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $22.18, for a total value of $307,547.88. Following the transaction, the director owned 24,823 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $550,574.14. This represents a 35.84% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 13.60% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lincoln Educational Services

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. State of Alaska Department of Revenue purchased a new stake in shares of Lincoln Educational Services during the third quarter valued at about $35,000. Stanley Laman Group Ltd. bought a new position in shares of Lincoln Educational Services during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $49,000. State of Wyoming purchased a new stake in Lincoln Educational Services during the third quarter valued at approximately $54,000. McIlrath & Eck LLC boosted its stake in Lincoln Educational Services by 24.2% in the third quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC now owns 2,815 shares of the company’s stock valued at $66,000 after acquiring an additional 548 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Strs Ohio purchased a new position in Lincoln Educational Services in the first quarter worth $48,000. 72.23% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Lincoln Educational Services Company Profile

Lincoln Educational Services Corporation is a publicly traded provider of career-focused post-secondary vocational education in the United States. Operating under the Lincoln Tech and Lincoln Culinary Institute brands, the company delivers hands-on technical instruction across high-growth industries. Its mission centers on equipping students with practical skills and industry credentials designed to meet employer needs.

The company’s program offerings span automotive technology, skilled trades, health sciences, information technology, culinary arts and public safety.