Lincoln Educational Services Co. (NASDAQ:LINC) Short Interest Up 44.5% in May

Lincoln Educational Services Co. (NASDAQ:LINC - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a large increase in short interest in the month of May. As of May 15th, there was short interest totalling 780,900 shares, an increase of 44.5% from the April 30th total of 540,300 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 268,500 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 2.9 days. Currently, 3.0% of the shares of the company are short sold.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on LINC. Northland Capmk raised shares of Lincoln Educational Services to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. B. Riley reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Lincoln Educational Services in a research report on Tuesday, May 13th. Rosenblatt Securities upped their price objective on shares of 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 price objective on shares of Lincoln Educational Services from $21.00 to $26.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 13th. Finally, Northland Securities assumed coverage on shares of Lincoln Educational Services in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $24.00 price objective on the stock. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, five have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Lincoln Educational Services has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $24.60.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director James J. Burke, Jr. sold 5,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $21.42, for a total transaction of $107,100.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 82,230 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,761,366.60. This represents a 5.73% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Carlton Rose sold 30,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $23.63, for a total transaction of $708,900.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 15,295 shares in the company, valued at approximately $361,420.85. This represents a 66.23% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 45,000 shares of company stock valued at $1,030,000 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 13.60% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Lincoln Educational Services

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Lincoln Educational Services by 5.4% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 1,494,714 shares of the company's stock worth $23,721,000 after buying an additional 75,989 shares during the last quarter. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. increased its stake in shares of Lincoln Educational Services by 43.1% in the fourth 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 period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its stake in shares of Lincoln Educational Services by 5.0% in the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,071,560 shares of the company's stock valued at $16,952,000 after buying an additional 51,430 shares during the period. First Eagle Investment Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Lincoln Educational Services by 5.2% in the fourth quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 833,093 shares of the company's stock valued at $13,180,000 after buying an additional 41,442 shares during the period. Finally, Next Century Growth Investors LLC grew its stake in Lincoln Educational Services by 11.3% during the first quarter. Next Century Growth Investors LLC now owns 738,923 shares of the company's stock worth $11,727,000 after purchasing an additional 74,775 shares during the period. 72.23% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Lincoln Educational Services Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ LINC traded down $0.28 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $22.57. The stock had a trading volume of 194,931 shares, compared to its average volume of 170,488. The business's fifty day moving average is $19.08 and its two-hundred day moving average is $17.17. Lincoln Educational Services has a twelve month low of $10.06 and a twelve month high of $24.20. The company has a market cap of $713.05 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 70.53, a PEG ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 1.63. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17, a current ratio of 1.57 and a quick ratio of 1.53.

Lincoln Educational Services (NASDAQ:LINC - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Monday, May 12th. The company reported $0.11 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.04 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $117.51 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $114.55 million. Lincoln Educational Services had a return on equity of 10.60% and a net margin of 2.33%. As a group, research analysts expect that Lincoln Educational Services will post 0.54 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.