StockNews.com Downgrades Lincoln Educational Services (NASDAQ:LINC) to Hold

Lincoln Educational Services (NASDAQ:LINC) was downgraded by investment analysts at StockNews.com from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note issued on Wednesday.

LINC has been the topic of a number of other research reports. Rosenblatt Securities boosted their target price on shares of Lincoln Educational Services from $15.00 to $17.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, August 9th. Barrington Research reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $16.00 target price on shares of Lincoln Educational Services in a report on Friday, September 20th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $15.75.

Lincoln Educational Services Price Performance

Lincoln Educational Services stock opened at $11.83 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17, a quick ratio of 1.75 and a current ratio of 1.78. Lincoln Educational Services has a 52 week low of $7.88 and a 52 week high of $14.52. The stock has a market capitalization of $371.98 million, a P/E ratio of 13.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 1.42. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $12.05 and a 200-day moving average of $11.64.

Lincoln Educational Services (NASDAQ:LINC) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, August 8th. The company reported $0.06 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.01) by $0.07. Lincoln Educational Services had a return on equity of 10.38% and a net margin of 1.95%. The firm had revenue of $102.91 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $99.60 million. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Lincoln Educational Services will post 0.51 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Lincoln Educational Services

In other Lincoln Educational Services news, major shareholder Juniper Investment Company, Ll sold 19,611 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $12.02, for a total value of $235,724.22. Following the sale, the insider now owns 876,410 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,534,448.20. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Insiders sold 40,819 shares of company stock worth $490,481 over the last three months. Company insiders own 16.80% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. First Eagle Investment Management LLC raised its stake in Lincoln Educational Services by 13.6% during the first quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 613,097 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,333,000 after buying an additional 73,321 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Lincoln Educational Services by 11.3% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 1,343,181 shares of the company’s stock valued at $13,875,000 after purchasing an additional 136,334 shares during the period. Renaissance Technologies LLC boosted its position in shares of Lincoln Educational Services by 12.6% during the 2nd quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 645,678 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,658,000 after purchasing an additional 72,400 shares in the last quarter. Secure Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in Lincoln Educational Services during the second quarter worth approximately $612,000. Finally, Calamos Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Lincoln Educational Services in the second quarter worth approximately $576,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.