Lincoln Educational Services (NASDAQ:LINC) Reaches New 52-Week High – Here’s Why

Shares of Lincoln Educational Services Co. (NASDAQ:LINC) hit a new 52-week high on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $23.10 and last traded at $23.03, with a volume of 515540 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $22.02.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

LINC has been the topic of several analyst reports. Barrington Research lifted their target price on Lincoln Educational Services from $22.00 to $25.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, May 12th. Northland Securities initiated coverage on Lincoln Educational Services in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $24.00 target price on the stock. Lake Street Capital lifted their target price on Lincoln Educational Services from $21.00 to $26.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 13th. Northland Capmk upgraded Lincoln Educational Services to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. Finally, B. Riley restated a “buy” rating on shares of Lincoln Educational Services in a research note on Tuesday, May 13th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Lincoln Educational Services has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $24.60.

Lincoln Educational Services Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17, a current ratio of 1.57 and a quick ratio of 1.53. The stock has a market capitalization of $727.59 million, a PE ratio of 71.97, a P/E/G ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 1.63. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $18.03 and a two-hundred day moving average of $16.83.

Lincoln Educational Services (NASDAQ:LINC) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, May 12th. The company reported $0.11 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.04 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $117.51 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $114.55 million. Lincoln Educational Services had a return on equity of 10.60% and a net margin of 2.33%. Research analysts expect that Lincoln Educational Services Co. will post 0.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director James J. Burke, Jr. sold 5,000 shares of Lincoln Educational Services stock in a transaction on Friday, May 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $21.42, for a total transaction of $107,100.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 82,230 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,761,366.60. The trade was a 5.73% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 13.60% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Lincoln Educational Services

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in Lincoln Educational Services by 5.4% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 1,494,714 shares of the company’s stock worth $23,721,000 after buying an additional 75,989 shares in the last quarter. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. increased its position in Lincoln Educational Services by 43.1% during the fourth quarter. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. now owns 1,123,143 shares of the company’s stock worth $17,768,000 after buying an additional 338,495 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its position in Lincoln Educational Services by 5.0% during the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,071,560 shares of the company’s stock worth $16,952,000 after buying an additional 51,430 shares in the last quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC increased its position in Lincoln Educational Services by 5.2% during the fourth quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 833,093 shares of the company’s stock worth $13,180,000 after buying an additional 41,442 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Next Century Growth Investors LLC increased its position in Lincoln Educational Services by 11.3% during the first quarter. Next Century Growth Investors LLC now owns 738,923 shares of the company’s stock worth $11,727,000 after buying an additional 74,775 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 72.23% of the company’s stock.

About Lincoln Educational Services

Lincoln Educational Services Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, provides various career-oriented post-secondary education services to high school graduates and working adults in the United States. The company operates in two segments, Campus Operations and Transitional. It offers associate's degree, and diploma and certificate programs in automotive technology; skilled trades programs, including electrical, heating and air conditioning repair, welding, computerized numerical control, and electrical and electronic systems technology; health science programs comprising licensed practical nurse, registered nurse, dental assistant, medical assistant, medical administrative assistant, and claims examiner; hospitality service and information technology programs, such as culinary, therapeutic massage, cosmetology, aesthetics, and computer systems support technicians.