Lincoln Educational Services (NASDAQ:LINC) Announces Earnings Results, Beats Expectations By $0.08 EPS

Lincoln Educational Services (NASDAQ:LINC) released its earnings results on Monday. The company reported $0.50 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.42 by $0.08, Zacks reports. Lincoln Educational Services had a net margin of 3.86% and a return on equity of 15.24%. The company had revenue of $142.87 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $131.70 million. Lincoln Educational Services updated its FY 2026 guidance to 0.640-0.740 EPS.

Here are the key takeaways from Lincoln Educational Services’ conference call:

• Q4 and full‑year 2025 results were strong — Q4 revenue $142.9M (+21.4%), student starts +15.7%, adjusted EBITDA +51% to $29.1M, and full‑year revenue of $518.2M with adjusted EBITDA of $67.1M.
• Growth execution and 2026 guidance underline expansion — three new/relocated campuses opened in 2025, the company targets two new campus projects per year (Hicksville 4Q26, Rowlett Q1 2027), and provided 2026 guidance of $580–590M revenue, $72–76M adjusted EBITDA, and starts growth of 8–13%.
• Heavy investment will pressure near‑term net income and cash flows — CapEx was $88M in 2025 and is guided to $70–75M in 2026, depreciation will rise to ~$33M (from $20.8M), and the company expects to use its credit facility intrayear.
• Reporting and operating improvements — bad debt as a percent of revenue declined to 10.9% and EBITDA margin expanded to 20.4%, while management will now include ~$10M of new campus/program pre‑opening losses in adjusted EBITDA for greater transparency.

Lincoln Educational Services Stock Up 7.3%

Shares of LINC opened at $35.45 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $1.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 56.27, a PEG ratio of 3.19 and a beta of 0.97. Lincoln Educational Services has a 52 week low of $14.10 and a 52 week high of $36.42. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $26.39 and its 200-day moving average price is $22.83. The company has a quick ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15.

Insider Transactions at Lincoln Educational Services

In other Lincoln Educational Services news, Director Kevin M. Carney sold 13,866 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $22.18, for a total value of $307,547.88. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 24,823 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $550,574.14. The trade was a 35.84% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 16.80% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Lincoln Educational Services

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. grew its position in Lincoln Educational Services by 4.5% during the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 15,657 shares of the company’s stock valued at $248,000 after buying an additional 681 shares during the period. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company purchased a new stake in shares of Lincoln Educational Services during the 2nd quarter worth about $256,000. Tidal Investments LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Lincoln Educational Services during the 2nd quarter worth about $305,000. Engineers Gate Manager LP acquired a new stake in shares of Lincoln Educational Services during the 2nd quarter valued at about $317,000. Finally, Brooklyn Investment Group increased its stake in shares of Lincoln Educational Services by 33,342.2% in the 3rd quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 15,049 shares of the company’s stock valued at $354,000 after purchasing an additional 15,004 shares in the last quarter. 72.23% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. B. Riley Financial upped their target price on Lincoln Educational Services from $33.00 to $38.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Wall Street Zen downgraded Lincoln Educational Services from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday. Weiss Ratings upgraded Lincoln Educational Services from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. Rosenblatt Securities lifted their target price on Lincoln Educational Services from $27.00 to $39.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday. Finally, Zacks Research downgraded shares of Lincoln Educational Services from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. 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 stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $37.33.

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.