Lincoln Educational Services (NASDAQ:LINC) Shares Up 7.1% – Should You Buy?

Lincoln Educational Services Co. (NASDAQ:LINC) was up 7.1% during trading on Monday . The company traded as high as $16.48 and last traded at $16.41. Approximately 127,618 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 8% from the average daily volume of 139,175 shares. The stock had previously closed at $15.32.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the company. Barrington Research reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $22.00 price target on shares of Lincoln Educational Services in a research note on Wednesday, March 26th. B. Riley initiated coverage on Lincoln Educational Services in a report on Friday, March 28th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $23.00 price target for the company. Finally, Rosenblatt Securities upped their target price on shares of Lincoln Educational Services from $20.00 to $24.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $21.00.

Lincoln Educational Services Trading Up 5.3 %

The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $16.58 and a 200 day moving average price of $15.34. The company has a current ratio of 1.57, a quick ratio of 1.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17. The company has a market cap of $535.50 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 52.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 1.57.

Lincoln Educational Services (NASDAQ:LINC) last issued its earnings results on Monday, February 24th. The company reported $0.31 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.20 by $0.11. The firm had revenue of $119.37 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $110.50 million. Lincoln Educational Services had a return on equity of 10.60% and a net margin of 2.33%. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Lincoln Educational Services Co. will post 0.54 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Lincoln Educational Services

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in LINC. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in Lincoln Educational Services by 3.5% in the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 74,935 shares of the company’s stock worth $895,000 after purchasing an additional 2,545 shares during the period. Janus Henderson Group PLC purchased a new position in Lincoln Educational Services during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $144,000. State Street Corp raised its position in Lincoln Educational Services by 3.0% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 440,136 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,255,000 after buying an additional 12,938 shares during the period. Jane Street Group LLC lifted its position in shares of Lincoln Educational Services by 63.6% in the third quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 38,367 shares of the company’s stock worth $458,000 after purchasing an additional 14,913 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Barclays PLC lifted its position in Lincoln Educational Services by 259.0% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 34,220 shares of the company’s stock worth $408,000 after buying an additional 24,688 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 72.23% of the company’s stock.

About Lincoln Educational Services

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.