Lincoln Educational Services Corporation (NASDAQ:LINC) Shares Sold by Royce & Associates LP

Key Points

• Royce & Associates LP reduced its stake in Lincoln Educational Services by 17.3%, selling 55,000 shares to hold approximately 262,584 shares worth $4.17 million.
• Insider selling included COO Chad D. Nyce selling 6,200 shares and Director Carlton Rose selling 30,000 shares, indicating significant decreases in their respective ownerships.
• Analysts have shown strong confidence in the company, with most issuing buy ratings and raising price targets, reflecting a positive outlook on Lincoln Educational Services' future performance.

Royce & Associates LP lessened its position in Lincoln Educational Services Corporation (NASDAQ:LINC - Free Report) by 17.3% during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 262,584 shares of the company's stock after selling 55,000 shares during the period. Royce & Associates LP owned approximately 0.83% of Lincoln Educational Services worth $4,167,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Calamos Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Lincoln Educational Services by 19.4% during the 1st quarter. Calamos Advisors LLC now owns 109,369 shares of the company's stock worth $1,736,000 after purchasing an additional 17,740 shares in the last quarter. North Star Investment Management Corp. lifted its stake in Lincoln Educational Services by 24.0% in the first quarter. North Star Investment Management Corp. now owns 106,275 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,687,000 after buying an additional 20,575 shares during the period. Pullen Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in Lincoln Educational Services by 1.4% in the first quarter. Pullen Investment Management LLC now owns 212,715 shares of the company's stock worth $3,376,000 after purchasing an additional 2,960 shares during the period. Parallel Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Lincoln Educational Services by 20.3% during the first quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 8,878 shares of the company's stock worth $141,000 after purchasing an additional 1,500 shares during the period. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC raised its holdings in Lincoln Educational Services by 1,952.6% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 11,823 shares of the company's stock worth $188,000 after buying an additional 11,247 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 72.23% of the company's stock.

Lincoln Educational Services Price Performance

Shares of Lincoln Educational Services stock traded up $0.20 during trading on Thursday, hitting $22.80. The stock had a trading volume of 40,277 shares, compared to its average volume of 234,633. The business's 50-day moving average is $22.69 and its 200 day moving average is $19.00. The firm has a market cap of $720.09 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 58.44, a P/E/G ratio of 2.08 and a beta of 1.58. Lincoln Educational Services Corporation has a 12 month low of $11.22 and a 12 month high of $24.20. 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 (NASDAQ:LINC - Get Free Report) last announced 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 business had revenue of $117.51 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $114.55 million. Lincoln Educational Services had a net margin of 2.65% and a return on equity of 10.88%. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Lincoln Educational Services Corporation will post 0.54 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Lincoln Educational Services

In related news, Director Carlton Rose sold 30,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $23.63, for a total value of $708,900.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 15,295 shares in the company, valued at $361,420.85. The trade was a 66.23% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director James J. Burke, Jr. sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, May 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $21.42, for a total value of $107,100.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 82,230 shares in the company, valued at $1,761,366.60. The trade was a 5.73% 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 valued at $1,172,166 in the last ninety days. 13.60% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on LINC shares. B. Riley reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Lincoln Educational Services in a research note on Tuesday, May 13th. Rosenblatt Securities boosted their price objective on Lincoln Educational Services from $24.00 to $25.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 13th. Lake Street Capital upped their target price on Lincoln Educational Services from $21.00 to $26.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 13th. Barrington Research increased their target price on Lincoln Educational Services from $22.00 to $25.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, May 12th. Finally, Northland Capmk raised shares of Lincoln Educational Services to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Lincoln Educational Services currently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $24.60.

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.