Lincoln Educational Services (NASDAQ:LINC) Reaches New 12-Month High – Still a Buy?

Lincoln Educational Services Corporation (NASDAQ:LINC) reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Friday . The stock traded as high as $29.56 and last traded at $29.0510, with a volume of 368319 shares. The stock had previously closed at $27.30.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Northland Securities set a $28.00 target price on shares of Lincoln Educational Services in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Lincoln Educational Services from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. B. Riley Financial raised their target price on Lincoln Educational Services from $27.00 to $33.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 27th. Barrington Research reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $27.00 price objective on shares of Lincoln Educational Services in a research note on Monday, December 1st. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut Lincoln Educational Services from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, February 7th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $29.00.

Lincoln Educational Services Price Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $946.70 million, a P/E ratio of 66.32, a P/E/G ratio of 2.14 and a beta of 0.97. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $25.01 and its 200 day simple moving average is $22.40. The company has a quick ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21.

Lincoln Educational Services (NASDAQ:LINC) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, November 10th. The company reported $0.20 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.12 by $0.08. The firm had revenue of $141.39 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations 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, sell-side analysts expect that Lincoln Educational Services Corporation will post 0.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Lincoln Educational Services 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 transaction of $307,547.88. Following the transaction, the director owned 24,823 shares in the company, valued at $550,574.14. This trade represents a 35.84% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Company insiders own 13.60% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Lincoln Educational Services

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of LINC. State of Alaska Department of Revenue bought a new stake in Lincoln Educational Services in the 3rd quarter valued at $35,000. Strs Ohio bought a new position in Lincoln Educational Services during the first quarter valued at about $48,000. Stanley Laman Group Ltd. bought a new position in Lincoln Educational Services during the third quarter valued at about $49,000. State of Wyoming acquired a new position in Lincoln Educational Services in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $54,000. Finally, McIlrath & Eck LLC lifted its position in shares of Lincoln Educational Services by 24.2% in the 3rd quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC now owns 2,815 shares of the company’s stock worth $66,000 after acquiring an additional 548 shares during the period. Institutional investors 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.