Lincoln Educational Services (NASDAQ:LINC) Hits New 52-Week High – Should You Buy?

Lincoln Educational Services Corporation (NASDAQ:LINC) shares hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $41.78 and last traded at $41.92, with a volume of 63771 shares. The stock had previously closed at $40.84.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

LINC has been the topic of several research reports. Zacks Research lowered shares of Lincoln Educational Services from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. Barrington Research lifted their price objective on Lincoln Educational Services from $38.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, March 20th. Lake Street Capital upped their target price on Lincoln Educational Services from $35.00 to $44.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, March 20th. Wall Street Zen cut Lincoln Educational Services from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, February 23rd. Finally, Rosenblatt Securities raised their price target on Lincoln Educational Services from $39.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, March 20th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have assigned a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $42.33.

Lincoln Educational Services Price Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $1.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 66.63, a PEG ratio of 3.72 and a beta of 0.92. The company has a current ratio of 0.86, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $31.46 and its 200-day simple moving average is $25.32.

Lincoln Educational Services (NASDAQ:LINC) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 23rd. The company reported $0.50 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.42 by $0.08. The business had revenue of $142.87 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $131.70 million. Lincoln Educational Services had a net margin of 3.86% and a return on equity of 15.24%. Lincoln Educational Services has set its FY 2026 guidance at 0.640-0.740 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that Lincoln Educational Services Corporation will post 0.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Michael A. Plater sold 17,256 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $35.73, for a total transaction of $616,556.88. Following the sale, the director owned 17,568 shares in the company, valued at $627,704.64. This trade represents a 49.55% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, COO Chad D. Nyce sold 8,450 shares of Lincoln Educational Services stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $36.50, for a total value of $308,425.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 174,206 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,358,519. This represents a 4.63% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 458,665 shares of company stock valued at $16,061,744. Insiders own 16.80% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Lincoln Educational Services

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in LINC. Archon Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Lincoln Educational Services during the 2nd quarter worth about $692,000. Pacific Ridge Capital Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of Lincoln Educational Services by 33.1% in the third quarter. Pacific Ridge Capital Partners LLC now owns 312,569 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,345,000 after acquiring an additional 77,680 shares during the last quarter. North Star Investment Management Corp. grew its holdings in Lincoln Educational Services by 18.1% in the third quarter. North Star Investment Management Corp. now owns 143,275 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,367,000 after purchasing an additional 22,000 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Lincoln Educational Services by 11.0% in the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 728,506 shares of the company’s stock valued at $16,795,000 after purchasing an additional 71,973 shares during the period. Finally, Boothbay Fund Management LLC increased its position in Lincoln Educational Services by 87.3% during the third quarter. Boothbay Fund Management LLC now owns 99,237 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,332,000 after purchasing an additional 46,268 shares during the last quarter. 72.23% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Lincoln Educational Services

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.