Lincoln Educational Services (NASDAQ:LINC) Hits New 52-Week High – Should You Buy?

Lincoln Educational Services Corporation (NASDAQ:LINC)’s stock price hit a new 52-week high on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $41.78 and last traded at $41.92, with a volume of 63771 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $40.84.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on LINC. Rosenblatt Securities boosted their price target on shares of Lincoln Educational Services from $39.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, March 20th. Lake Street Capital raised their price objective on shares of Lincoln Educational Services from $35.00 to $44.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, March 20th. Northland Securities set a $36.00 price objective on Lincoln Educational Services in a report on Tuesday, February 24th. Wall Street Zen cut Lincoln Educational Services from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, February 23rd. Finally, Griffin Securities set a $38.00 target price on Lincoln Educational Services in a research note on Tuesday, February 24th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have given a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Lincoln Educational Services currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $42.33.

Lincoln Educational Services Stock Performance

The company has a current ratio of 0.86, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 66.63, a PEG ratio of 3.72 and a beta of 0.92. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $31.46 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $25.32.

Lincoln Educational Services (NASDAQ:LINC) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 23rd. The company reported $0.50 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.42 by $0.08. The firm had revenue of $142.87 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $131.70 million. Lincoln Educational Services had a net margin of 3.86% and a return on equity of 15.24%. Lincoln Educational Services has set its FY 2026 guidance at 0.640-0.740 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that Lincoln Educational Services Corporation will post 0.54 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at Lincoln Educational Services

In other news, insider Juniper Investment Company, Ll sold 150,000 shares of Lincoln Educational Services stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $35.67, for a total transaction of $5,350,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 1,938,311 shares in the company, valued at approximately $69,139,553.37. This trade represents a 7.18% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Michael A. Plater sold 17,256 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $35.73, for a total value of $616,556.88. Following the sale, the director directly owned 17,568 shares in the company, valued at $627,704.64. This trade represents a 49.55% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 458,665 shares of company stock valued at $16,061,744 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 16.80% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Lincoln Educational Services

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of LINC. State of Alaska Department of Revenue purchased a new position in shares of Lincoln Educational Services in the third quarter valued at $35,000. Royal Bank of Canada boosted its position in shares of Lincoln Educational Services by 246.7% in the 4th quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 1,536 shares of the company’s stock worth $38,000 after buying an additional 1,093 shares in the last quarter. Strs Ohio acquired a new stake in Lincoln Educational Services in the 1st quarter valued at about $48,000. Stanley Laman Group Ltd. acquired a new stake in Lincoln Educational Services in the 3rd quarter valued at about $49,000. Finally, State of Wyoming purchased a new position in Lincoln Educational Services during the 3rd quarter valued at about $54,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 72.23% of the company’s stock.

About Lincoln Educational Services

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.