Lincoln Educational Services (NASDAQ:LINC) Shares Gap Up – Still a Buy?

Lincoln Educational Services Co. (NASDAQ:LINC)’s stock price gapped up before the market opened on Friday . The stock had previously closed at $16.00, but opened at $16.33. Lincoln Educational Services shares last traded at $16.36, with a volume of 17,014 shares changing hands.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on LINC shares. Barrington Research reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $22.00 price target on shares of Lincoln Educational Services in a research report on Wednesday. Rosenblatt Securities lifted their target price on shares of Lincoln Educational Services from $20.00 to $24.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. Finally, B. Riley started coverage on shares of Lincoln Educational Services in a research note on Friday. They issued a “buy” rating and a $23.00 price target on the stock. One investment 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.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $21.00.

Lincoln Educational Services Price Performance

The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $16.54 and its 200 day simple moving average is $15.04. The company has a market capitalization of $507.38 million, a P/E ratio of 50.53, a P/E/G ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 1.61. The company has a quick ratio of 1.53, a current ratio of 1.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17.

Lincoln Educational Services (NASDAQ:LINC) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 24th. The company reported $0.31 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 firm had revenue of $119.37 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $110.50 million. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Lincoln Educational Services Co. will post 0.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lincoln Educational Services

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. lifted its stake in shares of Lincoln Educational Services by 43.1% in the fourth quarter. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. now owns 1,123,143 shares of the company’s stock worth $17,768,000 after buying an additional 338,495 shares during the last quarter. Needham Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in Lincoln Educational Services by 71.4% during the third quarter. Needham Investment Management LLC now owns 600,000 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,164,000 after acquiring an additional 250,000 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. grew its position in shares of Lincoln Educational Services by 485.7% in the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 295,032 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,667,000 after purchasing an additional 244,657 shares during the last quarter. Next Century Growth Investors LLC grew its position in shares of Lincoln Educational Services by 17.9% in the fourth quarter. Next Century Growth Investors LLC now owns 664,148 shares of the company’s stock valued at $10,507,000 after purchasing an additional 100,963 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Dauntless Investment Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Lincoln Educational Services during the 4th quarter worth about $1,345,000. Institutional investors 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.