Short Interest in Lincoln Educational Services Corporation (NASDAQ:LINC) Expands By 22.2%

Key Points

• Short interest rose 22.2% in March to 1,540,974 shares (about 5.6% of shares short) with a days-to-cover ratio of 2.6, signaling increased bearish positioning.
• Notable insider selling occurred recently—Juniper Investment sold 150,000 shares (~$5.35M) and Director Michael Plater sold 17,256 shares—with insiders selling 458,665 shares over the last 90 days and now owning 12.8% of the stock.
• Wall Street is largely bullish: several analysts raised targets (consensus target ~$43.67) and the company beat Q results and set FY2026 guidance of 0.64–0.74 EPS, while shares trade around $41.32.

Lincoln Educational Services Corporation (NASDAQ:LINC - Get Free Report) was the target of a large growth in short interest during the month of March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totaling 1,540,974 shares, a growth of 22.2% from the March 15th total of 1,261,147 shares. Currently, 5.6% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 585,340 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 2.6 days.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Juniper Investment Company, Ll sold 150,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $35.67, for a total transaction of $5,350,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 1,938,311 shares of the company's stock, valued at $69,139,553.37. This represents a 7.18% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Michael A. Plater sold 17,256 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $35.73, for a total value of $616,556.88. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 17,568 shares of the company's stock, valued at $627,704.64. This trade represents a 49.55% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 458,665 shares of company stock valued at $16,061,744 over the last ninety days. 12.80% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Lincoln Educational Services

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Diversified Trust Co purchased a new position in Lincoln Educational Services in the first quarter valued at about $344,000. Pullen Investment Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Lincoln Educational Services by 1.0% during the 1st quarter. Pullen Investment Management LLC now owns 187,905 shares of the company's stock worth $7,644,000 after purchasing an additional 1,943 shares in the last quarter. Brady Martz Wealth Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Lincoln Educational Services during the 1st quarter valued at about $247,000. Hsbc Holdings PLC lifted its holdings in shares of Lincoln Educational Services by 22.2% during the 4th quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 44,411 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,077,000 after buying an additional 8,057 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. grew its stake in shares of Lincoln Educational Services by 275.0% in the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 178,892 shares of the company's stock valued at $4,320,000 after buying an additional 131,192 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 72.23% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on LINC shares. B. Riley Financial lifted their target price on shares of Lincoln Educational Services from $38.00 to $46.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, March 20th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Lincoln Educational Services from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b)" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 11th. Rosenblatt Securities lifted their price objective on shares of Lincoln Educational Services from $39.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, March 20th. Northland Securities set a $44.00 target price on shares of Lincoln Educational Services in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. Finally, Lake Street Capital increased their target price on Lincoln Educational Services from $35.00 to $44.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, March 20th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $43.67.

Lincoln Educational Services Stock Up 3.0%

Shares of NASDAQ LINC traded up $1.19 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $41.32. The company had a trading volume of 397,758 shares, compared to its average volume of 459,722. 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 company has a market capitalization of $1.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 65.59, a PEG ratio of 3.74 and a beta of 0.83. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $36.09 and a two-hundred day moving average of $27.53. Lincoln Educational Services has a 12-month low of $16.10 and a 12-month high of $42.85.

Lincoln Educational Services (NASDAQ:LINC - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 23rd. The company reported $0.50 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.42 by $0.08. The firm had revenue of $142.87 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $131.70 million. Lincoln Educational Services had a net margin of 3.86% and a return on equity of 15.24%. Lincoln Educational Services has set its FY 2026 guidance at 0.640-0.740 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Lincoln Educational Services will post 0.54 EPS for the current year.

About Lincoln Educational Services

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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