Lincoln Educational Services (NASDAQ:LINC) Shares Gap Up After Analyst Upgrade

Shares of Lincoln Educational Services Corporation (NASDAQ:LINC) gapped up before the market opened on Friday after Barrington Research raised their price target on the stock from $27.00 to $33.00. The stock had previously closed at $29.84, but opened at $31.25. Barrington Research currently has an outperform rating on the stock. Lincoln Educational Services shares last traded at $31.3270, with a volume of 12,022 shares trading hands.

LINC has been the topic of several other reports. Griffin Securities set a $33.00 target price on shares of Lincoln Educational Services in a report on Tuesday, January 27th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Lincoln Educational Services from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. Northland Securities set a $28.00 price objective 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 Sunday, February 15th. Finally, Zacks Research cut shares of Lincoln Educational Services from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have given a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $30.00.

Insider Transactions at Lincoln Educational Services

In related news, Director Kevin M. Carney sold 13,866 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $22.18, for a total transaction of $307,547.88. Following the sale, the director directly owned 24,823 shares in the company, valued at approximately $550,574.14. This represents a 35.84% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 13.60% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Lincoln Educational Services

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Pillsbury Lake Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of Lincoln Educational Services during the 4th quarter worth approximately $17,028,000. Cannell Capital LLC increased its stake in shares of Lincoln Educational Services by 248.6% during the third 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 in the last quarter. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. grew its stake 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 buying an additional 300,000 shares during the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. grew its stake in shares of Lincoln Educational Services by 293.7% in the second quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 389,989 shares of the company’s stock worth $8,989,000 after acquiring an additional 290,935 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Needham Investment Management LLC raised its position in shares of 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 worth $27,169,000 after purchasing an additional 260,000 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 72.23% of the company’s stock.

Lincoln Educational Services Trading Up 0.0%

The stock has a market cap of $983.89 million, a PE ratio of 69.35, a PEG ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 0.97. The company has a quick ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $25.78 and its 200 day moving average price is $22.64.

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.