Lincoln Educational Services (NASDAQ:LINC) Upgraded at B. Riley

B. Riley upgraded shares of Lincoln Educational Services (NASDAQ:LINC) to a strong-buy rating in a report released on Thursday morning,Zacks.com reports.

LINC has been the topic of several other research reports. Barrington Research restated an “outperform” rating and set a $22.00 price target on shares of Lincoln Educational Services in a report on Wednesday. Rosenblatt Securities upped their target price on shares of Lincoln Educational Services from $20.00 to $24.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, three have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $21.00.

Lincoln Educational Services Stock Performance

Shares of Lincoln Educational Services stock opened at $15.71 on Thursday. 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 $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 business has a 50-day moving average of $16.54 and a 200 day moving average of $15.10. Lincoln Educational Services has a 12 month low of $9.51 and a 12 month high of $19.79.

Lincoln Educational Services (NASDAQ:LINC) last announced its earnings results on Monday, February 24th. The company reported $0.31 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.20 by $0.11. Lincoln Educational Services had a net margin of 2.33% and a return on equity of 10.60%. The firm had revenue of $119.37 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $110.50 million. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Lincoln Educational Services will post 0.54 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lincoln Educational Services

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. McIlrath & Eck LLC raised its holdings in Lincoln Educational Services by 156.4% during the fourth quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC now owns 2,267 shares of the company’s stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 1,383 shares in the last quarter. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. raised its stake in Lincoln Educational Services by 39.6% during the 4th quarter. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 2,731 shares of the company’s stock worth $43,000 after acquiring an additional 775 shares in the last quarter. Morse Asset Management Inc purchased a new position in shares of Lincoln Educational Services during the fourth quarter worth about $101,000. Aquatic Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Lincoln Educational Services during the fourth quarter worth about $135,000. Finally, Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD purchased a new stake in shares of Lincoln Educational Services in the 4th quarter valued at about $171,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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.