Lincoln Educational Services Co. (NASDAQ:LINC) Short Interest Down 16.0% in November

Lincoln Educational Services Co. (NASDAQ:LINC) was the target of a large drop in short interest in November. As of November 30th, there was short interest totalling 204,300 shares, a drop of 16.0% from the November 15th total of 243,200 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 104,300 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 2.0 days.

Lincoln Educational Services Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:LINC opened at $16.01 on Friday. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $14.56 and its 200-day moving average price is $12.91. The company has a quick ratio of 1.53, a current ratio of 1.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17. The stock has a market capitalization of $503.99 million, a PE ratio of 50.03, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.02 and a beta of 1.47. Lincoln Educational Services has a twelve month low of $8.91 and a twelve month high of $18.74.

Lincoln Educational Services (NASDAQ:LINC) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, November 11th. The company reported $0.13 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.14 by ($0.01). The business had revenue of $114.41 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $111.05 million. Lincoln Educational Services had a return on equity of 10.60% and a net margin of 2.33%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.11 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Lincoln Educational Services will post 0.54 EPS for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently commented on the stock. StockNews.com lowered shares of Lincoln Educational Services from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th. B. Riley lifted their target price on shares of Lincoln Educational Services from $15.00 to $20.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 7th. Finally, Barrington Research increased their price target on Lincoln Educational Services from $16.00 to $20.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, November 11th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $18.00.

Insider Buying and Selling at Lincoln Educational Services

In other Lincoln Educational Services news, major shareholder Juniper Investment Company, Ll sold 61,289 shares of Lincoln Educational Services stock in a transaction on Monday, December 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $16.19, for a total value of $992,268.91. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 425,544 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,889,557.36. This trade represents a 12.59 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Chad D. Nyce sold 9,977 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $16.50, for a total value of $164,620.50. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 144,669 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,387,038.50. The trade was a 6.45 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 223,002 shares of company stock worth $3,632,824. 16.80% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lincoln Educational Services

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in LINC. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its stake in Lincoln Educational Services by 5.5% in the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 970,425 shares of the company’s stock worth $11,509,000 after buying an additional 50,737 shares in the last quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC grew its position in shares of Lincoln Educational Services by 25.4% during the second quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 768,851 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,119,000 after purchasing an additional 155,754 shares in the last quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC raised its stake in Lincoln Educational Services by 12.6% during the 2nd quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 645,678 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,658,000 after purchasing an additional 72,400 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Lincoln Educational Services by 1.9% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 636,160 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,598,000 after purchasing an additional 11,650 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Needham Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in Lincoln Educational Services by 71.4% in the 3rd quarter. Needham Investment Management LLC now owns 600,000 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,164,000 after purchasing an additional 250,000 shares during the period. 72.23% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.