Lincoln Educational Services Corporation (NASDAQ:LINC) Receives Average Recommendation of “Buy” from Analysts

Shares of Lincoln Educational Services Corporation (NASDAQ:LINC) have earned an average recommendation of “Buy” from the seven analysts that are covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price target among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $37.3333.

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Lincoln Educational Services from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. B. Riley Financial raised their price target on shares of Lincoln Educational Services from $33.00 to $38.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Zacks Research lowered Lincoln Educational Services from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. Rosenblatt Securities increased their target price on Lincoln Educational Services from $27.00 to $39.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday. Finally, Barrington Research set a $38.00 price target on Lincoln Educational Services in a research note on Monday.

Insider Activity at Lincoln Educational Services

In other news, Director Kevin M. Carney sold 13,866 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $22.18, for a total value of $307,547.88. Following the sale, the director owned 24,823 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $550,574.14. This represents a 35.84% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 16.80% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Lincoln Educational Services

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Lincoln Educational Services by 3.6% during 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 in the last quarter. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. grew its position in Lincoln Educational Services by 12.2% during the 4th quarter. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. now owns 1,626,623 shares of the company’s stock worth $39,283,000 after acquiring an additional 177,018 shares during the last quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP increased its holdings in Lincoln Educational Services by 4.8% during the 3rd quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP now owns 1,168,375 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,457,000 after purchasing an additional 53,281 shares in the last quarter. Needham Investment Management LLC raised its position in Lincoln Educational Services by 30.1% in the 4th quarter. Needham Investment Management LLC now owns 1,125,000 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,169,000 after purchasing an additional 260,000 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Next Century Growth Investors LLC boosted its stake in Lincoln Educational Services by 4.1% in the fourth quarter. Next Century Growth Investors LLC now owns 791,271 shares of the company’s stock worth $19,109,000 after purchasing an additional 31,370 shares in the last quarter. 72.23% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Lincoln Educational Services Stock Performance

NASDAQ LINC opened at $35.45 on Wednesday. Lincoln Educational Services has a 52-week low of $14.10 and a 52-week high of $36.42. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 56.27, a P/E/G ratio of 3.19 and a beta of 0.97. The company’s fifty day moving average is $26.39 and its two-hundred day moving average is $22.83. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15, a current ratio of 0.86 and a quick ratio of 0.77.

Lincoln Educational Services (NASDAQ:LINC) last posted its quarterly earnings results 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 return on equity of 15.24% and a net margin of 3.86%.Lincoln Educational Services has set its FY 2026 guidance at 0.640-0.740 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Lincoln Educational Services will post 0.54 EPS for the current year.

Trending Headlines about Lincoln Educational Services

Here are the key news stories impacting Lincoln Educational Services this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 beat — Lincoln reported EPS of $0.50 vs. consensus $0.42 and revenue of $142.9M vs. $131.7M consensus, showing clear top- and bottom-line upside. Zacks Article
• Positive Sentiment: Stronger revenue outlook — management raised FY2026 revenue guidance to $580–$590M, well above Street revenue expectations, suggesting continued enrollment/scale gains. Press Release
• Positive Sentiment: Operational momentum & investor events — company says FY2025 results exceeded guidance, forecasts continued growth for 2026, and scheduled an Investor Day (Mar 19) tied to expansion (new Nashville campus), which could support longer-term multiple re-rating. Press Release
• Neutral Sentiment: Full earnings detail & call available — transcript and call notes provide management commentary investors will parse for enrollment trends, margins and cadence of growth. Earnings Call Transcript
• Negative Sentiment: EPS guidance misses — FY2026 EPS guidance of $0.64–$0.74 is below the Street consensus (~$0.81), which tempers the positive reaction from the revenue beat and raises near-term profitability concerns. Press Release
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst reaction mixed — at least one shop trimmed its rating to Hold and some forecasters adjusted models ahead of the print, reflecting caution around margins and the EPS outlook. Analyst Note

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.