Lincoln Educational Services (NASDAQ:LINC) Upgraded at StockNews.com

Lincoln Educational Services (NASDAQ:LINC) was upgraded by equities researchers at StockNews.com from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a note issued to investors on Tuesday.

A number of other analysts also recently commented on LINC. Rosenblatt Securities raised their price objective on Lincoln Educational Services from $15.00 to $17.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 9th. Barrington Research reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $16.00 target price on shares of Lincoln Educational Services in a research report on Friday, September 20th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $15.75.

Lincoln Educational Services Stock Performance

NASDAQ:LINC traded down $0.32 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $11.62. 92,805 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 111,831. The firm has a market capitalization of $365.38 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.67, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 1.42. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $12.41 and a two-hundred day moving average of $11.56. The company has a current ratio of 1.78, a quick ratio of 1.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17. Lincoln Educational Services has a 12 month low of $7.88 and a 12 month high of $14.52.

Lincoln Educational Services (NASDAQ:LINC) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 8th. The company reported $0.06 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.01) by $0.07. Lincoln Educational Services had a net margin of 1.95% and a return on equity of 10.38%. The business had revenue of $102.91 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $99.60 million. On average, equities analysts forecast that Lincoln Educational Services will post 0.51 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Lincoln Educational Services

In related news, major shareholder Juniper Investment Company, Ll sold 17,031 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $12.01, for a total value of $204,542.31. Following the sale, the insider now owns 935,937 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,240,603.37. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 40,819 shares of company stock valued at $490,481. Corporate insiders own 16.80% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Lincoln Educational Services

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in LINC. First Eagle Investment Management LLC increased its holdings 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 buying an additional 155,754 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in Lincoln Educational Services by 11.3% in the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 1,343,181 shares of the company’s stock worth $13,875,000 after purchasing an additional 136,334 shares in the last quarter. Pullen Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Lincoln Educational Services during the first quarter worth $1,259,000. Herr Investment Group LLC increased its stake in shares of Lincoln Educational Services by 3.9% in the first quarter. Herr Investment Group LLC now owns 2,355,737 shares of the company’s stock valued at $24,335,000 after buying an additional 88,335 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Renaissance Technologies LLC raised its holdings in shares of Lincoln Educational Services by 12.6% in the second quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 645,678 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,658,000 after buying an additional 72,400 shares during the last quarter. 72.23% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.