Lincoln Educational Services (NASDAQ:LINC) Raised to Strong-Buy at Zacks Research

Lincoln Educational Services (NASDAQ:LINC) was upgraded by analysts at Zacks Research from a “strong sell” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note issued on Monday,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other research analysts have also recently commented on the stock. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Lincoln Educational Services in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Northland Securities set a $28.00 target price on shares of Lincoln Educational Services in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Lincoln Educational Services from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, December 13th. Finally, Barrington Research restated an “outperform” rating and set a $27.00 price target on shares of Lincoln Educational Services in a research note on Monday, December 1st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have given a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Lincoln Educational Services presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $26.20.

Lincoln Educational Services Stock Performance

Shares of LINC stock opened at $25.16 on Monday. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $22.34 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $21.82. Lincoln Educational Services has a one year low of $14.10 and a one year high of $25.76. The stock has a market cap of $795.56 million, a P/E ratio of 55.91, a P/E/G ratio of 1.98 and a beta of 0.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21, a current ratio of 0.81 and a quick ratio of 0.77.

Lincoln Educational Services (NASDAQ:LINC) last issued its earnings results on Monday, November 10th. The company reported $0.20 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.12 by $0.08. Lincoln Educational Services had a net margin of 2.86% and a return on equity of 12.20%. The company had revenue of $141.39 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $129.85 million. As a group, equities analysts predict that Lincoln Educational Services will post 0.54 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Lincoln Educational Services

In other news, Director Kevin M. Carney sold 13,866 shares of the 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 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 sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 16.80% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lincoln Educational Services

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of LINC. AQR Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Lincoln Educational Services during the first quarter valued at $213,000. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. lifted its stake in Lincoln Educational Services by 4.5% during the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 15,657 shares of the company’s stock worth $248,000 after purchasing an additional 681 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC increased its position in shares of Lincoln Educational Services by 1.9% in the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 47,648 shares of the company’s stock valued at $756,000 after purchasing an additional 879 shares during the last quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in Lincoln Educational Services by 58.4% in the first quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 61,425 shares of the company’s stock valued at $973,000 after acquiring an additional 22,643 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Strs Ohio acquired a new stake in shares of Lincoln Educational Services during the first quarter worth about $48,000. 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.