Lincoln Educational Services (NASDAQ:LINC) Shares Gap Up – Still a Buy?

Shares of Lincoln Educational Services Co. (NASDAQ:LINC) gapped up prior to trading on Friday . The stock had previously closed at $16.00, but opened at $16.33. Lincoln Educational Services shares last traded at $16.36, with a volume of 17,014 shares.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on LINC shares. B. Riley initiated coverage on shares of Lincoln Educational Services in a report on Friday. They set a “buy” rating and a $23.00 price objective for the company. Barrington Research reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $22.00 target price on shares of Lincoln Educational Services in a report on Wednesday. Finally, Rosenblatt Securities boosted their price target on Lincoln Educational Services from $20.00 to $24.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, three have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $21.00.

Lincoln Educational Services Trading Down 1.8 %

The company has a market cap of $496.33 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 49.10, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 1.61. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $16.54 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $15.10. The company has a quick ratio of 1.53, a current ratio of 1.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17.

Lincoln Educational Services (NASDAQ:LINC) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 24th. The company reported $0.31 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.20 by $0.11. The firm had revenue of $119.37 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $110.50 million. Lincoln Educational Services had a net margin of 2.33% and a return on equity of 10.60%. Research analysts expect that Lincoln Educational Services Co. will post 0.54 earnings per share for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Lincoln Educational Services

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in LINC. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Lincoln Educational Services by 3.5% during the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 74,935 shares of the company’s stock worth $895,000 after purchasing an additional 2,545 shares during the period. Janus Henderson Group PLC bought a new position in shares of Lincoln Educational Services during the third quarter worth about $144,000. Needham Investment Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Lincoln Educational Services by 71.4% during the 3rd quarter. Needham Investment Management LLC now owns 600,000 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,164,000 after acquiring an additional 250,000 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp grew its position in Lincoln Educational Services by 3.0% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 440,136 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,255,000 after purchasing an additional 12,938 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Jane Street Group LLC increased its position in shares of Lincoln Educational Services by 63.6% in the third quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 38,367 shares of the company’s stock valued at $458,000 after acquiring an additional 14,913 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 72.23% of the company’s stock.

Lincoln Educational Services Company Profile

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.