Short Interest in Lincoln Educational Services Co. (NASDAQ:LINC) Grows By 13.1%

Lincoln Educational Services Co. (NASDAQ:LINC - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a significant growth in short interest in the month of April. As of April 30th, there was short interest totalling 294,700 shares, a growth of 13.1% from the April 15th total of 260,500 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 105,400 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 2.8 days.

Analyst Ratings Changes

LINC has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Rosenblatt Securities reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $13.50 price target on shares of Lincoln Educational Services in a research note on Monday, April 29th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Lincoln Educational Services from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 8th. Barrington Research increased their target price on shares of Lincoln Educational Services from $13.00 to $14.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, May 6th. B. Riley boosted their price target on shares of Lincoln Educational Services from $14.00 to $15.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 7th. Finally, Lake Street Capital upped their price objective on shares of Lincoln Educational Services from $14.00 to $15.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 7th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $14.38.

Insider Activity at Lincoln Educational Services

In other news, major shareholder Juniper Investment Company, Ll sold 169,592 shares of Lincoln Educational Services stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $10.13, for a total transaction of $1,717,966.96. Following the sale, the insider now owns 1,436,631 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $14,553,072.03. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In other Lincoln Educational Services news, Director J Barry Morrow sold 5,252 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $10.08, for a total transaction of $52,940.16. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 122,911 shares in the company, valued at $1,238,942.88. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, major shareholder Juniper Investment Company, Ll sold 169,592 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $10.13, for a total value of $1,717,966.96. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 1,436,631 shares in the company, valued at $14,553,072.03. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 583,692 shares of company stock worth $5,858,793 over the last three months. Company insiders own 16.80% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its stake in shares of Lincoln Educational Services by 0.9% during the third quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 131,825 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,114,000 after acquiring an additional 1,239 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC boosted its stake in shares of Lincoln Educational Services by 31.1% in the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 13,410 shares of the company's stock valued at $135,000 after purchasing an additional 3,182 shares during the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew its position in shares of Lincoln Educational Services by 60.2% during the 1st quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 11,218 shares of the company's stock worth $116,000 after buying an additional 4,217 shares during the period. Essex Investment Management Co. LLC raised its stake in shares of Lincoln Educational Services by 1.4% during the first quarter. Essex Investment Management Co. LLC now owns 420,360 shares of the company's stock worth $4,342,000 after buying an additional 5,832 shares during the last quarter. Finally, AJOVista LLC acquired a new position in Lincoln Educational Services in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $67,000. 72.23% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Lincoln Educational Services Price Performance

NASDAQ LINC traded down $0.03 on Wednesday, hitting $12.01. 85,919 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 96,492. Lincoln Educational Services has a 1-year low of $5.99 and a 1-year high of $13.05. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $10.45 and a two-hundred day moving average of $9.85. The company has a current ratio of 1.98, a quick ratio of 1.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18. The company has a market cap of $377.59 million, a P/E ratio of 14.13, a P/E/G ratio of 1.67 and a beta of 1.33.

Lincoln Educational Services (NASDAQ:LINC - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Monday, February 26th. The company reported $0.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.28 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $102.52 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $97.78 million. Lincoln Educational Services had a net margin of 6.57% and a return on equity of 9.79%. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.32 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts predict that Lincoln Educational Services will post 0.48 EPS for the current 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.