Essex Investment Management Co. LLC Has $6.15 Million Holdings in Lincoln Educational Services Corporation (NASDAQ:LINC)

Key Points

• Essex Investment Management Co. LLC has reduced its stake in Lincoln Educational Services by 3.1%, now holding 387,346 shares valued at approximately $6.15 million.
• Institutional investors own over 72% of Lincoln Educational Services, with significant adjustments from firms like Vanguard and Alyeska Investment Group, which increased their holdings recently.
• Brokerages have expressed a positive outlook, with multiple firms issuing a "buy" rating and increasing their price targets for Lincoln Educational Services to around $24-$26.

Essex Investment Management Co. LLC trimmed its holdings in shares of Lincoln Educational Services Corporation (NASDAQ:LINC - Free Report) by 3.1% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 387,346 shares of the company's stock after selling 12,294 shares during the period. Lincoln Educational Services comprises 1.3% of Essex Investment Management Co. LLC's holdings, making the stock its 13th largest position. Essex Investment Management Co. LLC owned approximately 1.23% of Lincoln Educational Services worth $6,147,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of LINC. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in Lincoln Educational Services by 1.1% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 1,418,725 shares of the company's stock valued at $22,444,000 after purchasing an additional 14,772 shares during the last quarter. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. lifted its stake in Lincoln Educational Services by 43.1% in the 4th quarter. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. now owns 1,123,143 shares of the company's stock valued at $17,768,000 after purchasing an additional 338,495 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its stake in Lincoln Educational Services by 5.0% in the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,071,560 shares of the company's stock valued at $16,952,000 after purchasing an additional 51,430 shares during the last quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC lifted its stake in Lincoln Educational Services by 6.5% in the 4th quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 690,378 shares of the company's stock valued at $10,922,000 after purchasing an additional 42,000 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Next Century Growth Investors LLC lifted its stake in Lincoln Educational Services by 17.9% in the 4th quarter. Next Century Growth Investors LLC now owns 664,148 shares of the company's stock valued at $10,507,000 after purchasing an additional 100,963 shares during the last quarter. 72.23% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have weighed in on LINC. Northland Securities began coverage on shares of Lincoln Educational Services in a report on Thursday, April 24th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $24.00 price target on the stock. Rosenblatt Securities increased their price target on shares of Lincoln Educational Services from $24.00 to $25.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 13th. Northland Capmk raised shares of Lincoln Educational Services to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Thursday, April 24th. B. Riley reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Lincoln Educational Services in a report on Tuesday, May 13th. Finally, Barrington Research increased their price target on shares of Lincoln Educational Services from $22.00 to $25.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, May 12th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Lincoln Educational Services currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $24.60.

Lincoln Educational Services Price Performance

NASDAQ:LINC traded up $0.03 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $22.90. The stock had a trading volume of 133,521 shares, compared to its average volume of 234,808. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $22.74 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $19.08. The stock has a market capitalization of $723.38 million, a PE ratio of 58.59, a P/E/G ratio of 2.09 and a beta of 1.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17, a current ratio of 1.04 and a quick ratio of 1.01. Lincoln Educational Services Corporation has a 12 month low of $11.22 and a 12 month high of $24.20.

Lincoln Educational Services (NASDAQ:LINC - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, May 12th. The company reported $0.11 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.04 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $117.51 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $114.55 million. Lincoln Educational Services had a net margin of 2.65% and a return on equity of 10.88%. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Lincoln Educational Services Corporation will post 0.54 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Lincoln Educational Services news, COO Chad D. Nyce sold 6,200 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Friday, June 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $22.93, for a total transaction of $142,166.00. Following the sale, the chief operating officer owned 170,209 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,902,892.37. The trade was a 3.51% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director James J. Burke, Jr. sold 5,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Friday, May 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $21.42, for a total transaction of $107,100.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 82,230 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,761,366.60. The trade was a 5.73% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 51,200 shares of company stock valued at $1,172,166. 13.60% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.