Lincoln Educational Services (NASDAQ:LINC) Shares Gap Down on Insider Selling

Shares of Lincoln Educational Services Co. (NASDAQ:LINC) gapped down before the market opened on Monday following insider selling activity. The stock had previously closed at $21.69, but opened at $20.73. Lincoln Educational Services shares last traded at $21.14, with a volume of 41,087 shares changing hands.

Specifically, Director James J. Burke, Jr. sold 5,000 shares of Lincoln Educational Services stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $21.42, for a total transaction of $107,100.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 82,230 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,761,366.60. The trade was a 5.73% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director James J. Burke, Jr. sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $21.40, for a total value of $214,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 87,230 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,866,722. This trade represents a 10.28% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

LINC has been the subject of a number of research reports. Northland Securities initiated coverage on Lincoln Educational Services in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $24.00 price objective for the company. Rosenblatt Securities increased their price target on shares of Lincoln Educational Services from $24.00 to $25.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 13th. Barrington Research raised their price objective on shares of Lincoln Educational Services from $22.00 to $25.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, May 12th. B. Riley reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Lincoln Educational Services in a report on Tuesday, May 13th. Finally, Lake Street Capital increased their target price on shares of Lincoln Educational Services from $21.00 to $26.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 13th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $24.60.

Lincoln Educational Services Price Performance

The company has a market cap of $672.61 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 66.53, a PEG ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 1.63. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $17.22 and its 200 day moving average price is $16.54. The company has a current ratio of 1.57, a quick ratio of 1.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17.

Lincoln Educational Services (NASDAQ:LINC) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, May 12th. The company reported $0.11 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.04 by $0.07. Lincoln Educational Services had a net margin of 2.33% and a return on equity of 10.60%. The firm had revenue of $117.51 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $114.55 million. Equities research analysts forecast that Lincoln Educational Services Co. will post 0.54 earnings per share for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Lincoln Educational Services

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in Lincoln Educational Services by 5.4% in the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 1,494,714 shares of the company’s stock valued at $23,721,000 after buying an additional 75,989 shares in the last quarter. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. raised its holdings in Lincoln Educational Services by 43.1% during the fourth quarter. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. now owns 1,123,143 shares of the company’s stock worth $17,768,000 after purchasing an additional 338,495 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its position in Lincoln Educational Services by 5.0% during the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,071,560 shares of the company’s stock worth $16,952,000 after purchasing an additional 51,430 shares in the last quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in 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 purchasing an additional 41,442 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Next Century Growth Investors LLC grew its holdings in Lincoln Educational Services by 11.3% in the first quarter. Next Century Growth Investors LLC now owns 738,923 shares of the company’s stock valued at $11,727,000 after purchasing an additional 74,775 shares during the last quarter. 72.23% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.