Heartland Advisors Inc. Cuts Position in Lincoln Educational Services Corporation (NASDAQ:LINC)

Key Points

• Heartland Advisors Inc. reduced its holdings in Lincoln Educational Services by 3.8% in the first quarter, owning approximately 1.2% of the company's stock after selling 51,676 shares.
• Multiple analysts have increased their price targets for Lincoln Educational Services, with Barrington Research raising their target from $22.00 to $25.00 and maintaining an "outperform" rating.
• Insiders have sold a total of 51,200 shares of Lincoln Educational Services in the last three months, leaving 13.60% of the stock currently held by company insiders.

Heartland Advisors Inc. decreased its holdings in Lincoln Educational Services Corporation (NASDAQ:LINC - Free Report) by 3.8% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,300,000 shares of the company's stock after selling 51,676 shares during the quarter. Lincoln Educational Services comprises approximately 1.2% of Heartland Advisors Inc.'s portfolio, making the stock its 12th biggest holding. Heartland Advisors Inc. owned about 4.11% of Lincoln Educational Services worth $20,631,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. McIlrath & Eck LLC raised its position in Lincoln Educational Services by 156.4% in the fourth quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC now owns 2,267 shares of the company's stock worth $36,000 after acquiring an additional 1,383 shares in the last quarter. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. raised its position in Lincoln Educational Services by 39.6% in the fourth 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 in the fourth quarter valued at $101,000. Aquatic Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Lincoln Educational Services in the fourth quarter valued at $135,000. Finally, Parallel Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Lincoln Educational Services by 20.3% in the first quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 8,878 shares of the company's stock valued at $141,000 after buying an additional 1,500 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 72.23% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

Lincoln Educational Services Stock Up 1.5%

Shares of NASDAQ:LINC opened at $22.77 on Friday. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $22.62 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $18.81. The company has a current ratio of 1.04, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17. Lincoln Educational Services Corporation has a 12-month low of $11.22 and a 12-month high of $24.20. The firm has a market cap of $719.30 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 58.39, a PEG ratio of 2.08 and a beta of 1.58.

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

Insider Transactions at Lincoln Educational Services

In other news, Director James J. Burke, Jr. sold 10,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $21.40, for a total value of $214,000.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 87,230 shares in the company, valued at $1,866,722. This trade represents a 10.28% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, COO Chad D. Nyce sold 6,200 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $22.93, for a total value of $142,166.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 170,209 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,902,892.37. This trade represents a 3.51% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 51,200 shares of company stock worth $1,172,166 in the last three months. 13.60% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.

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