Heartland Advisors Inc. Trims Holdings in Lincoln Educational Services Co. (NASDAQ:LINC)

Heartland Advisors Inc. reduced its holdings in shares of Lincoln Educational Services Co. (NASDAQ:LINC) by 8.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 1,351,676 shares of the company’s stock after selling 130,432 shares during the period. Lincoln Educational Services accounts for about 1.2% of Heartland Advisors Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 16th largest holding. Heartland Advisors Inc. owned about 4.29% of Lincoln Educational Services worth $21,384,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the business. Janus Henderson Group PLC purchased a new stake in shares of Lincoln Educational Services in the third quarter worth $144,000. Sanctuary Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Lincoln Educational Services during the 4th quarter valued at about $288,000. Barclays PLC lifted its position in Lincoln Educational Services by 259.0% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 34,220 shares of the company’s stock valued at $408,000 after acquiring an additional 24,688 shares in the last quarter. Jane Street Group LLC boosted its position in shares of Lincoln Educational Services by 63.6% during the third quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 38,367 shares of the company’s stock valued at $458,000 after buying an additional 14,913 shares during the last quarter. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its holdings in Lincoln Educational Services by 248.7% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 39,646 shares of the company’s stock worth $473,000 after buying an additional 28,275 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 72.23% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

LINC has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Barrington Research reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $22.00 price target on shares of Lincoln Educational Services in a report on Wednesday. Rosenblatt Securities lifted their price objective on Lincoln Educational Services from $20.00 to $24.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $20.25.

Lincoln Educational Services Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ LINC opened at $16.00 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17, a current ratio of 1.57 and a quick ratio of 1.53. Lincoln Educational Services Co. has a 1 year low of $9.51 and a 1 year high of $19.79. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $16.54 and a 200-day moving average price of $15.04. The stock has a market cap of $505.49 million, a PE ratio of 50.00, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 1.61.

Lincoln Educational Services (NASDAQ:LINC) last released its earnings results on Monday, February 24th. The company reported $0.31 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.20 by $0.11. The firm had revenue of $119.37 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $110.50 million. Lincoln Educational Services had a net margin of 2.33% and a return on equity of 10.60%. Equities analysts anticipate that Lincoln Educational Services Co. will post 0.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.