Lincoln Educational Services (NASDAQ:LINC) Downgraded to “Hold” Rating by Zacks Research

Zacks Research cut shares of Lincoln Educational Services (NASDAQ:LINC) from a strong-buy rating to a hold rating in a research report report published on Tuesday,Zacks.com reports.

LINC has been the topic of several other research reports. Griffin Securities set a $33.00 price target on shares of Lincoln Educational Services in a report on Tuesday, January 27th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Lincoln Educational Services from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 7th. B. Riley Financial boosted their price target on shares of Lincoln Educational Services from $27.00 to $33.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 27th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Lincoln Educational Services from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. Finally, Barrington Research restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $27.00 price objective on shares of Lincoln Educational Services in a report on Monday, December 1st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have assigned a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $29.00.

Lincoln Educational Services Stock Up 0.1%

Shares of NASDAQ:LINC opened at $26.95 on Tuesday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $24.92 and its 200 day moving average is $22.36. The company has a market cap of $852.27 million, a PE ratio of 59.89, a P/E/G ratio of 2.14 and a beta of 0.97. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21, a current ratio of 0.81 and a quick ratio of 0.77. Lincoln Educational Services has a 1 year low of $14.10 and a 1 year high of $28.22.

Lincoln Educational Services (NASDAQ:LINC) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, November 10th. The company reported $0.20 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 firm had revenue of $141.39 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $129.85 million. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Lincoln Educational Services will post 0.54 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Kevin M. Carney sold 13,866 shares of Lincoln Educational Services stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $22.18, for a total transaction of $307,547.88. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 24,823 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $550,574.14. This trade represents a 35.84% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 13.60% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lincoln Educational Services

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of LINC. Acadian Asset Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Lincoln Educational Services by 135.8% in the second quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 144,851 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,337,000 after acquiring an additional 83,426 shares during the last quarter. SG Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Lincoln Educational Services by 894.7% in the 2nd quarter. SG Capital Management LLC now owns 170,556 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,931,000 after purchasing an additional 153,410 shares during the last quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. boosted its stake in Lincoln Educational Services by 32.4% in the 2nd quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. now owns 191,759 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,420,000 after purchasing an additional 46,913 shares in the last quarter. Archon Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Lincoln Educational Services during the 2nd quarter valued at about $692,000. Finally, Campbell & CO Investment Adviser LLC purchased a new stake in Lincoln Educational Services during the 2nd quarter valued at about $835,000. 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.