Lincoln Educational Services (NASDAQ:LINC) Sets New 1-Year High Following Strong Earnings

Lincoln Educational Services Co. (NASDAQ:LINC) hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Monday following a better than expected earnings announcement. The stock traded as high as $19.79 and last traded at $18.28, with a volume of 77297 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $16.09.

The company reported $0.31 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.20 by $0.11. Lincoln Educational Services had a return on equity of 10.60% and a net margin of 2.33%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on LINC. Barrington Research restated an “outperform” rating and set a $20.00 price objective on shares of Lincoln Educational Services in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. B. Riley boosted their price target on Lincoln Educational Services from $15.00 to $20.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 7th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Lincoln Educational Services presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $18.00.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Lincoln Educational Services news, major shareholder Juniper Investment Company, Ll sold 61,289 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $16.19, for a total transaction of $992,268.91. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 425,544 shares in the company, valued at $6,889,557.36. This represents a 12.59 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders sold 137,116 shares of company stock worth $2,244,600 over the last three months. Insiders own 16.80% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lincoln Educational Services

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. McIlrath & Eck LLC increased its holdings in shares of Lincoln Educational Services by 156.4% during the fourth quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC now owns 2,267 shares of the company’s stock worth $36,000 after buying an additional 1,383 shares in the last quarter. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Lincoln Educational Services by 39.6% during the fourth quarter. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 2,731 shares of the company’s stock worth $43,000 after buying an additional 775 shares in the last quarter. Morse Asset Management Inc acquired a new position in shares of Lincoln Educational Services during the fourth quarter worth $101,000. SG Americas Securities LLC acquired a new position in shares of Lincoln Educational Services during the third quarter worth $121,000. Finally, Aquatic Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Lincoln Educational Services during the fourth quarter worth $135,000. 72.23% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Lincoln Educational Services Stock Up 7.2 %

The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $16.11 and its 200-day moving average price is $14.37. The company has a market capitalization of $542.90 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 54.15, a P/E/G ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 1.41. 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 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.