Lincoln Educational Services (NASDAQ:LINC) Sets New 52-Week High – Should You Buy?

Lincoln Educational Services Corporation (NASDAQ:LINC) reached a new 52-week high during trading on Thursday . The company traded as high as $31.49 and last traded at $29.84, with a volume of 533995 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $30.13.

Analyst Ratings Changes

LINC has been the topic of several recent research reports. Northland Securities set a $28.00 price target on shares of Lincoln Educational Services in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th. Barrington Research reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $27.00 price objective on shares of Lincoln Educational Services in a research note on Monday, December 1st. Weiss Ratings upgraded Lincoln Educational Services from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Wall Street Zen raised Lincoln Educational Services from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Sunday. Finally, B. Riley Financial upped their target price on Lincoln Educational Services from $27.00 to $33.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 27th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have assigned a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $29.00.

Lincoln Educational Services Stock Performance

The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $25.60 and its 200-day simple moving average is $22.58. The company has a market capitalization of $943.54 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 66.31, a P/E/G ratio of 2.39 and a beta of 0.97. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a current ratio of 0.81.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Kevin M. Carney sold 13,866 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $22.18, for a total value of $307,547.88. Following the transaction, the director owned 24,823 shares in the company, valued at $550,574.14. This represents a 35.84% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Insiders own 13.60% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in LINC. State of Alaska Department of Revenue acquired a new stake in shares of Lincoln Educational Services during the 3rd quarter valued at $35,000. Royal Bank of Canada increased its stake in shares of Lincoln Educational Services by 246.7% in the fourth quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 1,536 shares of the company’s stock worth $38,000 after acquiring an additional 1,093 shares during the last quarter. Stanley Laman Group Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of Lincoln Educational Services during the third quarter worth $49,000. State of Wyoming purchased a new stake in shares of Lincoln Educational Services during the third quarter worth $54,000. Finally, McIlrath & Eck LLC boosted its position in Lincoln Educational Services by 24.2% during the third quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC now owns 2,815 shares of the company’s stock valued at $66,000 after purchasing an additional 548 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.