Lincoln Educational Services Co. (NASDAQ:LINC) Sees Large Growth in Short Interest

Lincoln Educational Services Co. (NASDAQ:LINC) was the recipient of a significant growth in short interest during the month of February. As of February 28th, there was short interest totalling 364,500 shares, a growth of 23.4% from the February 13th total of 295,300 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 173,700 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.1 days. Approximately 1.4% of the company’s shares are sold short.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently issued reports on LINC. Barrington Research reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $20.00 price target on shares of Lincoln Educational Services in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. Rosenblatt Securities upped their target price on Lincoln Educational Services from $20.00 to $24.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Lincoln Educational Services has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $19.75.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. McIlrath & Eck LLC boosted its stake in Lincoln Educational Services by 156.4% during the fourth quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC now owns 2,267 shares of the company’s stock worth $36,000 after acquiring an additional 1,383 shares in the last quarter. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in Lincoln Educational Services by 39.6% during the fourth quarter. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 2,731 shares of the company’s stock worth $43,000 after acquiring an additional 775 shares in the last quarter. Morse Asset Management Inc bought a new position in Lincoln Educational Services during the fourth quarter worth $101,000. Aquatic Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Lincoln Educational Services during the fourth quarter worth $135,000. Finally, Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD bought a new position in Lincoln Educational Services during the fourth quarter worth $171,000. 72.23% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Lincoln Educational Services Trading Up 3.9 %

LINC opened at $15.55 on Thursday. Lincoln Educational Services has a twelve month low of $9.51 and a twelve month high of $19.79. The company has a quick ratio of 1.53, a current ratio of 1.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17. The company has a fifty day moving average of $16.46 and a 200-day moving average of $14.90. The stock has a market cap of $491.27 million, a PE ratio of 48.60, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 1.61.

Lincoln Educational Services (NASDAQ:LINC) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 24th. The company reported $0.31 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.20 by $0.11. Lincoln Educational Services had a net margin of 2.33% and a return on equity of 10.60%. The company had revenue of $119.37 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $110.50 million. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Lincoln Educational Services will post 0.54 EPS for the current year.

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.