B. Riley Upgrades Lincoln Educational Services (NASDAQ:LINC) to “Strong-Buy”

Lincoln Educational Services (NASDAQ:LINC) was upgraded by research analysts at B. Riley to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Thursday,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other equities research analysts have also issued reports on the stock. Rosenblatt Securities increased their target price on shares of Lincoln Educational Services from $20.00 to $24.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. Barrington Research reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $22.00 target price on shares of Lincoln Educational Services in a report on Wednesday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, three have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $21.00.

Lincoln Educational Services Price Performance

LINC stock opened at $15.71 on Thursday. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $16.54 and its 200 day moving average price is $15.07. Lincoln Educational Services has a 12-month low of $9.51 and a 12-month high of $19.79. The company has a current ratio of 1.57, a quick ratio of 1.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17. The company has a market capitalization of $496.33 million, a PE ratio of 49.10, a P/E/G ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 1.61.

Lincoln Educational Services (NASDAQ:LINC) last issued its quarterly earnings results 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. The company had revenue of $119.37 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $110.50 million. Lincoln Educational Services had a net margin of 2.33% and a return on equity of 10.60%. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Lincoln Educational Services will post 0.54 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lincoln Educational Services

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in Lincoln Educational Services in the fourth quarter valued at $452,000. Pullen Investment Management LLC raised its position in shares of Lincoln Educational Services by 45.7% during the 4th quarter. Pullen Investment Management LLC now owns 209,755 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,318,000 after acquiring an additional 65,805 shares in the last quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC lifted 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 purchasing an additional 1,383 shares during the last quarter. Occudo Quantitative Strategies LP acquired a new position in Lincoln Educational Services in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $219,000. Finally, Morse Asset Management Inc acquired a new position in Lincoln Educational Services in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $101,000. 72.23% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.