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

StockNews.com downgraded shares of Lincoln Educational Services (NASDAQ:LINC) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report sent to investors on Wednesday morning.

Several other research analysts also recently commented on the company. Rosenblatt Securities increased their price objective on Lincoln Educational Services from $15.00 to $17.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research note on Friday, August 9th. Barrington Research reissued an outperform rating and issued a $16.00 price target on shares of Lincoln Educational Services in a research note on Friday, September 20th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Lincoln Educational Services presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $15.75.

Lincoln Educational Services Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ LINC opened at $12.04 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. The firm has a market cap of $379.02 million, a PE ratio of 46.31, a PEG ratio of 1.56 and a beta of 1.42. Lincoln Educational Services has a one year low of $7.88 and a one year high of $14.52. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $12.04 and a 200 day moving average of $11.65.

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

Insider Activity

In other Lincoln Educational Services news, major shareholder Juniper Investment Company, Ll sold 17,031 shares of Lincoln Educational Services stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $12.01, for a total transaction of $204,542.31. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 935,937 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,240,603.37. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 40,819 shares of company stock valued at $490,481. 16.80% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Lincoln Educational Services

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Essex Investment Management Co. LLC increased its position in shares of Lincoln Educational Services by 0.3% during the 3rd quarter. Essex Investment Management Co. LLC now owns 443,739 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,298,000 after purchasing an additional 1,490 shares during the last quarter. Gladius Capital Management LP acquired a new position in shares of Lincoln Educational Services in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $33,000. Pullen Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Lincoln Educational Services by 2.4% in the 2nd quarter. Pullen Investment Management LLC now owns 124,832 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,481,000 after acquiring an additional 2,924 shares during the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets increased its holdings in Lincoln Educational Services by 60.2% in the 1st quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 11,218 shares of the company’s stock valued at $116,000 after purchasing an additional 4,217 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Weil Company Inc. raised its position in Lincoln Educational Services by 12.3% in the second quarter. Weil Company Inc. now owns 41,125 shares of the company’s stock valued at $488,000 after purchasing an additional 4,500 shares during the period. 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.