Lincoln Educational Services Co. (NASDAQ:LINC) Short Interest Up 6.3% in October

Lincoln Educational Services Co. (NASDAQ:LINC) was the target of a large growth in short interest in October. As of October 15th, there was short interest totalling 278,400 shares, a growth of 6.3% from the September 30th total of 261,800 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 90,500 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 3.1 days.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently commented on the company. Rosenblatt Securities lifted their target price on Lincoln Educational Services from $15.00 to $17.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 9th. StockNews.com cut Lincoln Educational Services from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th. Finally, Barrington Research restated an “outperform” rating and set a $16.00 target price on shares of Lincoln Educational Services in a research report on Friday, September 20th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $15.75.

Insider Transactions at Lincoln Educational Services

In related news, major shareholder Juniper Investment Company, Ll sold 17,031 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $12.01, for a total value of $204,542.31. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 935,937 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,240,603.37. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 40,819 shares of company stock valued at $490,481. Corporate insiders own 16.80% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lincoln Educational Services

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of LINC. BNP Paribas Financial Markets boosted its position in Lincoln Educational Services by 60.2% during the first quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 11,218 shares of the company’s stock worth $116,000 after purchasing an additional 4,217 shares in the last quarter. Pullen Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Lincoln Educational Services in the 1st quarter worth about $1,259,000. Essex Investment Management Co. LLC grew its stake in Lincoln Educational Services by 1.4% in the 1st quarter. Essex Investment Management Co. LLC now owns 420,360 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,342,000 after acquiring an additional 5,832 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC increased its holdings in Lincoln Educational Services by 8.2% during the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 183,078 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,891,000 after acquiring an additional 13,825 shares in the last quarter. Finally, First Eagle Investment Management LLC raised its position in Lincoln Educational Services by 13.6% during the first quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 613,097 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,333,000 after acquiring an additional 73,321 shares during the last quarter. 72.23% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Lincoln Educational Services Stock Performance

NASDAQ LINC opened at $13.38 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 1.78, a quick ratio of 1.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17. The business’s 50 day moving average is $12.22 and its two-hundred day moving average is $11.88. The stock has a market capitalization of $421.14 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.74, a PEG ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 1.42. Lincoln Educational Services has a 12-month low of $8.40 and a 12-month high of $14.52.

Lincoln Educational Services (NASDAQ:LINC) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, August 8th. The company reported $0.06 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.01) by $0.07. The company had revenue of $102.91 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $99.60 million. Lincoln Educational Services had a net margin of 1.95% and a return on equity of 10.38%. Research analysts expect that Lincoln Educational Services will post 0.51 EPS for the current 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.