Lincoln Educational Services Corporation (NASDAQ:LINC) Sees Large Growth in Short Interest

Lincoln Educational Services Corporation (NASDAQ:LINC - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a significant growth in short interest during the month of April. As of April 15th, there was short interest totaling 1,850,537 shares, a growth of 20.1% from the March 31st total of 1,540,974 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 368,849 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 5.0 days. Currently, 6.7% of the company's stock are short sold.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Juniper Investment Company, Ll sold 275,000 shares of Lincoln Educational Services stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $34.55, for a total value of $9,501,250.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 2,088,311 shares of the company's stock, valued at $72,151,145.05. The trade was a 11.64% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Sylvia Jean Young sold 7,959 shares of Lincoln Educational Services stock in a transaction on Friday, March 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $35.81, for a total value of $285,011.79. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 12,697 shares of the company's stock, valued at $454,679.57. The trade was a 38.53% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 458,665 shares of company stock worth $16,061,744 over the last three months. Company insiders own 12.80% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Lincoln Educational Services

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Pacific Ridge Capital Partners LLC grew its holdings in Lincoln Educational Services by 33.1% during the third quarter. Pacific Ridge Capital Partners LLC now owns 312,569 shares of the company's stock valued at $7,345,000 after purchasing an additional 77,680 shares during the period. Boothbay Fund Management LLC grew its holdings in Lincoln Educational Services by 87.3% during the third quarter. Boothbay Fund Management LLC now owns 99,237 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,332,000 after purchasing an additional 46,268 shares during the period. North Star Investment Management Corp. grew its holdings in Lincoln Educational Services by 18.1% during the third quarter. North Star Investment Management Corp. now owns 143,275 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,367,000 after purchasing an additional 22,000 shares during the period. Cannell Capital LLC grew its holdings in Lincoln Educational Services by 248.6% during the third quarter. Cannell Capital LLC now owns 576,505 shares of the company's stock valued at $13,548,000 after purchasing an additional 411,111 shares during the period. Finally, Pullen Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in Lincoln Educational Services by 16.2% during the third quarter. Pullen Investment Management LLC now owns 184,148 shares of the company's stock valued at $4,327,000 after purchasing an additional 25,617 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 72.23% of the company's stock.

Lincoln Educational Services Stock Performance

NASDAQ:LINC opened at $40.35 on Thursday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $38.63 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $28.78. Lincoln Educational Services has a 52-week low of $16.25 and a 52-week high of $42.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a current ratio of 0.86. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.28 billion, a PE ratio of 64.05, a P/E/G ratio of 3.74 and a beta of 0.83.

Lincoln Educational Services (NASDAQ:LINC - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 23rd. The company reported $0.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.42 by $0.08. Lincoln Educational Services had a return on equity of 15.24% and a net margin of 3.86%.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. Analysts forecast that Lincoln Educational Services will post 0.71 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

LINC has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Griffin Securities set a $38.00 price objective on Lincoln Educational Services in a report on Tuesday, February 24th. Wall Street Zen lowered Lincoln Educational Services from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, February 23rd. Lake Street Capital lifted their price objective on Lincoln Educational Services from $35.00 to $44.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, March 20th. Northland Securities set a $44.00 price objective on Lincoln Educational Services in a report on Thursday, April 9th. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised Lincoln Educational Services from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "buy (b)" rating in a report on Friday, April 24th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $43.67.

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.

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