Lincoln Educational Services Co. (NASDAQ:LINC) Short Interest Update

Lincoln Educational Services Co. (NASDAQ:LINC - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a large 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 daily volume of 173,700 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.1 days. Currently, 1.4% of the company's shares are short sold.

Lincoln Educational Services Stock Performance

Lincoln Educational Services stock traded down $0.88 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $14.99. 258,336 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 128,978. The stock has a market cap of $473.58 million, a P/E ratio of 46.85, a P/E/G ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 1.61. The firm's 50 day moving average is $16.49 and its 200 day moving average is $14.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17, a quick ratio of 1.53 and a current ratio of 1.57. Lincoln Educational Services has a 52-week low of $9.51 and a 52-week high of $19.79.

Lincoln Educational Services (NASDAQ:LINC - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 24th. The company reported $0.31 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.20 by $0.11. The company had revenue of $119.37 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $110.50 million. Lincoln Educational Services had a return on equity of 10.60% and a net margin of 2.33%. Analysts predict that Lincoln Educational Services will post 0.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Remove Ads

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of LINC. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of Lincoln Educational Services by 4.5% in the fourth quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 14,976 shares of the company's stock valued at $237,000 after purchasing an additional 643 shares during the period. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. lifted its position in shares of Lincoln Educational Services by 39.6% during the 4th quarter. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 2,731 shares of the company's stock valued at $43,000 after acquiring an additional 775 shares during the period. McIlrath & Eck LLC grew its holdings in shares of Lincoln Educational Services by 156.4% in the 4th quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC now owns 2,267 shares of the company's stock worth $36,000 after acquiring an additional 1,383 shares during the period. MetLife Investment Management LLC increased its stake in Lincoln Educational Services by 13.7% in the 4th quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 15,456 shares of the company's stock valued at $245,000 after purchasing an additional 1,859 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Russell Investments Group Ltd. raised its holdings in Lincoln Educational Services by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 212,923 shares of the company's stock worth $3,368,000 after purchasing an additional 2,195 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 72.23% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Rosenblatt Securities upped their target price on shares of Lincoln Educational Services from $20.00 to $24.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. Barrington Research reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $20.00 price target on shares of Lincoln Educational Services in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Lincoln Educational Services currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $19.75.

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.