Analysts Set Lincoln Educational Services Corporation (NASDAQ:LINC) Target Price at $26.20

Lincoln Educational Services Corporation (NASDAQ:LINC) has been given a consensus recommendation of “Buy” by the seven analysts that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, four have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 12-month target price among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $26.20.

Several analysts have issued reports on the company. Northland Securities set a $28.00 target price on Lincoln Educational Services in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. Barrington Research reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $27.00 price target on shares of Lincoln Educational Services in a research report on Monday, December 1st. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Lincoln Educational Services from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, December 13th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Lincoln Educational Services in a report on Thursday. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded shares of Lincoln Educational Services from a “strong sell” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, January 12th.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Kevin M. Carney sold 13,866 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $22.18, for a total transaction of $307,547.88. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 24,823 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $550,574.14. This represents a 35.84% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 16.80% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in LINC. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in Lincoln Educational Services by 3.6% in the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 1,682,345 shares of the company’s stock worth $39,535,000 after buying an additional 58,582 shares during the period. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. increased its holdings in shares of Lincoln Educational Services by 26.1% in the 3rd quarter. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. now owns 1,449,605 shares of the company’s stock worth $34,066,000 after acquiring an additional 300,000 shares during the period. Wasatch Advisors LP increased its holdings in shares of Lincoln Educational Services by 4.8% in the 3rd quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP now owns 1,168,375 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,457,000 after acquiring an additional 53,281 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Lincoln Educational Services by 11.0% in the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 728,506 shares of the company’s stock valued at $16,795,000 after purchasing an additional 71,973 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cannell Capital LLC boosted its stake in Lincoln Educational Services by 248.6% during the 3rd quarter. Cannell Capital LLC now owns 576,505 shares of the company’s stock valued at $13,548,000 after purchasing an additional 411,111 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 72.23% of the company’s stock.

Lincoln Educational Services Stock Down 3.0%

Shares of NASDAQ:LINC opened at $26.23 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $829.39 million, a PE ratio of 58.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 0.99. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $23.55 and a 200 day simple moving average of $22.04. The company has a current ratio of 0.81, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21. Lincoln Educational Services has a 12-month low of $14.10 and a 12-month high of $28.22.

Lincoln Educational Services (NASDAQ:LINC) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, November 10th. The company reported $0.20 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.12 by $0.08. The firm had revenue of $141.39 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $129.85 million. Lincoln Educational Services had a net margin of 2.86% and a return on equity of 12.20%. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Lincoln Educational Services will post 0.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.