Lincoln Educational Services (NASDAQ:LINC) Cut to “Strong Sell” at Zacks Research

Zacks Research lowered shares of Lincoln Educational Services (NASDAQ:LINC) from a hold rating to a strong sell rating in a research note released on Thursday,Zacks.com reports.

Other equities analysts have also recently issued reports about the stock. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Lincoln Educational Services from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, December 13th. Barrington Research restated an “outperform” rating and set a $27.00 price target on shares of Lincoln Educational Services in a research report on Monday, December 1st. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Lincoln Educational Services in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $25.40.

Lincoln Educational Services Stock Performance

Shares of LINC stock opened at $23.31 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 0.81, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21. Lincoln Educational Services has a 12-month low of $14.10 and a 12-month high of $25.76. The business’s 50 day moving average is $21.73 and its two-hundred day moving average is $21.73. The company has a market capitalization of $737.06 million, a P/E ratio of 51.80, a P/E/G ratio of 1.85 and a beta of 0.99.

Lincoln Educational Services (NASDAQ:LINC) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, November 10th. The company reported $0.20 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.12 by $0.08. Lincoln Educational Services had a return on equity of 12.20% and a net margin of 2.86%.The business had revenue of $141.39 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $129.85 million. Analysts expect that Lincoln Educational Services will post 0.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Lincoln Educational Services

In related news, Director Kevin M. Carney sold 13,866 shares of Lincoln Educational Services stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $22.18, for a total transaction of $307,547.88. Following the transaction, the director owned 24,823 shares in the company, valued at approximately $550,574.14. This trade represents a 35.84% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Corporate insiders own 13.60% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lincoln Educational Services

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of LINC. Harvest Investment Services LLC boosted its holdings in Lincoln Educational Services by 68.9% in the 3rd quarter. Harvest Investment Services LLC now owns 111,925 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,630,000 after purchasing an additional 45,650 shares during the last quarter. Oberweis Asset Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Lincoln Educational Services by 59.1% in the third quarter. Oberweis Asset Management Inc. now owns 301,600 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,088,000 after acquiring an additional 112,000 shares during the last quarter. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. grew its position in Lincoln Educational Services by 26.1% in the third quarter. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. now owns 1,449,605 shares of the company’s stock worth $34,066,000 after acquiring an additional 300,000 shares during the period. Wasatch Advisors LP grew its position in Lincoln Educational Services by 4.8% in the third quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP now owns 1,168,375 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,457,000 after acquiring an additional 53,281 shares during the period. Finally, Prelude Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Lincoln Educational Services by 13.5% during the third quarter. Prelude Capital Management LLC now owns 187,641 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,410,000 after acquiring an additional 22,247 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 72.23% of the company’s stock.

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.