Lincoln Educational Services Sees Unusually High Options Volume (NASDAQ:LINC)

Lincoln Educational Services Corporation (NASDAQ:LINC) was the target of some unusual options trading activity on Monday. Traders acquired 2,687 put options on the company. This represents an increase of approximately 435% compared to the average volume of 502 put options.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Northland Securities set a $60.00 price objective on shares of Lincoln Educational Services in a research report on Thursday, May 28th. Lake Street Capital restated a “buy” rating and set a $55.00 target price on shares of Lincoln Educational Services in a research report on Tuesday, May 12th. Weiss Ratings cut Lincoln Educational Services from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. Rosenblatt Securities reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $60.00 price target on shares of Lincoln Educational Services in a report on Thursday, June 11th. Finally, Barrington Research raised their price target on Lincoln Educational Services from $45.00 to $56.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 12th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Lincoln Educational Services currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $54.17.

Insider Activity

In related news, SVP Alexandra M. Luster sold 18,007 shares of Lincoln Educational Services stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $44.64, for a total transaction of $803,832.48. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 82,356 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,676,371.84. The trade was a 17.94% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CFO Brian K. Meyers sold 40,070 shares of Lincoln Educational Services stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $49.98, for a total transaction of $2,002,698.60. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 160,712 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,032,385.76. This represents a 19.96% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 95,070 shares of company stock worth $4,617,457. Insiders own 12.80% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Lincoln Educational Services

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Lincoln Educational Services in the 2nd quarter worth $123,906,000. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake 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 valued at $39,535,000 after buying an additional 58,582 shares during the period. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. raised its holdings in shares of Lincoln Educational Services by 12.2% in the fourth quarter. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. now owns 1,626,623 shares of the company’s stock valued at $39,283,000 after acquiring an additional 177,018 shares in the last quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP raised its holdings in shares of Lincoln Educational Services by 4.8% in the third quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP now owns 1,168,375 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,457,000 after acquiring an additional 53,281 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Needham Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Lincoln Educational Services by 30.1% in the fourth quarter. Needham Investment Management LLC now owns 1,125,000 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,169,000 after acquiring an additional 260,000 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 72.23% of the company’s stock.

Lincoln Educational Services Trading Down 15.0%

Shares of LINC traded down $6.16 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $34.83. 1,171,318 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 513,319. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $47.00 and its 200 day moving average price is $41.05. The company has a current ratio of 0.83, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18. The firm has a market cap of $1.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 48.99, a PEG ratio of 3.49 and a beta of 0.83. Lincoln Educational Services has a 12-month low of $17.29 and a 12-month high of $56.34.

Lincoln Educational Services (NASDAQ:LINC) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, August 10th. The company reported $0.06 EPS for the quarter. Lincoln Educational Services had a net margin of 4.11% and a return on equity of 15.25%. Lincoln Educational Services has set its FY 2026 guidance at 0.740-0.830 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Lincoln Educational Services will post 0.78 earnings per share for the current year.

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.