Lincoln Educational Services Corporation (NASDAQ:LINC) Receives Consensus Recommendation of "Buy" from Brokerages

Key Points

• Lincoln Educational Services Corporation (NASDAQ:LINC) has received a consensus rating of "Buy" from six analysts, with an average 12-month price target of $24.60.
• The company reported earnings of $0.11 per share for the last quarter, exceeding analyst expectations of $0.04, and generated revenue of $117.51 million, surpassing estimates.
• Recent insider trading includes COO Chad D. Nyce selling 6,200 shares and Director James J. Burke, Jr. selling 5,000 shares, indicating a 3.51% and 5.73% decrease in their holdings, respectively.

Lincoln Educational Services Corporation (NASDAQ:LINC - Get Free Report) has been assigned an average recommendation of "Buy" from the six ratings firms that are covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Five analysts have rated the stock with a buy recommendation and one has issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 12 month target price among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $24.60.

Several analysts have issued reports on the company. B. Riley reaffirmed 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 report on Monday, May 12th. Northland Capmk upgraded Lincoln Educational Services to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Thursday, April 24th. 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 report on Tuesday, May 13th. Finally, Northland Securities assumed coverage on Lincoln Educational Services in a report on Thursday, April 24th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $24.00 price objective for the company.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, COO Chad D. Nyce sold 6,200 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $22.93, for a total transaction of $142,166.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer owned 170,209 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,902,892.37. This represents a 3.51% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director James J. Burke, Jr. sold 10,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $21.40, for a total transaction of $214,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 87,230 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,866,722. The trade was a 10.28% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 51,200 shares of company stock worth $1,172,166. Corporate insiders own 16.80% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Lincoln Educational Services

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of LINC. Wellington Management Group LLP bought a new stake in shares of Lincoln Educational Services in the 1st quarter worth about $8,344,000. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. grew its position in shares of Lincoln Educational Services by 43.1% during 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 buying an additional 338,495 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. grew its position in shares of Lincoln Educational Services by 485.7% during the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 295,032 shares of the company's stock valued at $4,667,000 after buying an additional 244,657 shares during the last quarter. Next Century Growth Investors LLC grew its position in shares of Lincoln Educational Services by 17.9% during the 4th quarter. Next Century Growth Investors LLC now owns 664,148 shares of the company's stock valued at $10,507,000 after buying an additional 100,963 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mackenzie Financial Corp bought a new stake in shares of Lincoln Educational Services during the 1st quarter valued at about $1,421,000. 72.23% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Lincoln Educational Services Trading Up 7.0%

LINC stock traded up $1.59 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $24.23. 187,345 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 236,058. Lincoln Educational Services has a 52-week low of $11.22 and a 52-week high of $24.20. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a current ratio of 1.04. The business has a 50 day moving average of $22.76 and a 200-day moving average of $19.26. The firm has a market capitalization of $765.27 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 62.07, a P/E/G ratio of 2.09 and a beta of 1.50.

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, topping the consensus estimate of $0.04 by $0.07. Lincoln Educational Services had a return on equity of 10.88% and a net margin of 2.65%. The company had revenue of $117.51 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $114.55 million. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Lincoln Educational Services will post 0.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.