Lincoln Educational Services (NASDAQ:LINC) Reaches New 1-Year High – Time to Buy?

Lincoln Educational Services Corporation (NASDAQ:LINC) shares reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Monday . The stock traded as high as $42.62 and last traded at $42.05, with a volume of 24051 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $41.74.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on LINC shares. B. Riley Financial raised their target price on shares of Lincoln Educational Services from $38.00 to $46.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, March 20th. Northland Securities set a $36.00 price target on shares of Lincoln Educational Services in a research report on Tuesday, February 24th. Griffin Securities set a $38.00 price target on Lincoln Educational Services in a report on Tuesday, February 24th. Rosenblatt Securities raised their price objective on Lincoln Educational Services from $39.00 to $45.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, March 20th. Finally, Lake Street Capital upped their target price on Lincoln Educational Services from $35.00 to $44.00 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 assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $42.33.

Lincoln Educational Services Trading Up 0.8%

The firm has a market capitalization of $1.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 67.02, a PEG ratio of 3.92 and a beta of 0.83. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $33.83 and its 200 day moving average price is $26.51. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15, a current ratio of 0.86 and a quick ratio of 0.82.

Lincoln Educational Services (NASDAQ:LINC) last released its quarterly earnings results 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. Lincoln Educational Services had a net margin of 3.86% and a return on equity of 15.24%. The business had revenue of $142.87 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $131.70 million. Lincoln Educational Services has set its FY 2026 guidance at 0.640-0.740 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Lincoln Educational Services Corporation will post 0.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Juniper Investment Company, Ll sold 150,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $35.67, for a total transaction of $5,350,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 1,938,311 shares in the company, valued at $69,139,553.37. This trade represents a 7.18% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Michael A. Plater sold 17,256 shares of Lincoln Educational Services stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $35.73, for a total value of $616,556.88. Following the sale, the director directly owned 17,568 shares in the company, valued at approximately $627,704.64. The trade was a 49.55% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 458,665 shares of company stock valued at $16,061,744 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 13.60% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Lincoln Educational Services

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in LINC. State of Alaska Department of Revenue purchased a new position in shares of Lincoln Educational Services during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Royal Bank of Canada grew its position in shares of Lincoln Educational Services by 246.7% during the fourth quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 1,536 shares of the company’s stock worth $38,000 after buying an additional 1,093 shares in the last quarter. Strs Ohio bought a new stake in shares of Lincoln Educational Services in the first quarter worth $48,000. Stanley Laman Group Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of Lincoln Educational Services in the third quarter worth $49,000. Finally, State of Wyoming acquired a new stake in Lincoln Educational Services in the third quarter valued at $54,000. 72.23% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Lincoln Educational Services Company Profile

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.