Lincoln Educational Services (NASDAQ:LINC) Upgraded at B. Riley

B. Riley upgraded shares of Lincoln Educational Services (NASDAQ:LINC) to a strong-buy rating in a report issued on Thursday morning,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other research firms have also recently commented on LINC. Barrington Research reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $22.00 price target on shares of Lincoln Educational Services in a report on Wednesday. Rosenblatt Securities upped their price target on Lincoln Educational Services from $20.00 to $24.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, three have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Lincoln Educational Services presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $21.00.

Lincoln Educational Services Stock Down 1.8 %

Shares of NASDAQ:LINC opened at $15.71 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.53, a current ratio of 1.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17. The business’s 50 day moving average is $16.54 and its 200 day moving average is $15.07. Lincoln Educational Services has a 12-month low of $9.51 and a 12-month high of $19.79. The stock has a market cap of $496.33 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 49.10, a PEG ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 1.61.

Lincoln Educational Services (NASDAQ:LINC) last announced its earnings results on Monday, February 24th. The company reported $0.31 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.20 by $0.11. The firm had revenue of $119.37 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $110.50 million. Lincoln Educational Services had a return on equity of 10.60% and a net margin of 2.33%. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Lincoln Educational Services will post 0.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of Lincoln Educational Services

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. McIlrath & Eck LLC lifted its position in Lincoln Educational Services by 156.4% during the fourth quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC now owns 2,267 shares of the company’s stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 1,383 shares during the last quarter. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. grew its position in Lincoln Educational Services by 39.6% in the fourth quarter. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 2,731 shares of the company’s stock worth $43,000 after acquiring an additional 775 shares in the last quarter. Morse Asset Management Inc bought a new position in Lincoln Educational Services in the fourth quarter valued at $101,000. Aquatic Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Lincoln Educational Services in the fourth quarter valued at $135,000. Finally, Janus Henderson Group PLC purchased a new stake in Lincoln Educational Services during the third quarter valued at about $144,000. 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.