Wasatch Advisors LP Trims Position in Lincoln Educational Services Co. (NASDAQ:LINC)

Wasatch Advisors LP lessened its position in shares of Lincoln Educational Services Co. (NASDAQ:LINC) by 51.1% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 227,473 shares of the company’s stock after selling 237,587 shares during the quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP’s holdings in Lincoln Educational Services were worth $2,716,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of LINC. Gladius Capital Management LP purchased a new stake in Lincoln Educational Services in the second quarter worth about $33,000. SG Americas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in Lincoln Educational Services in the third quarter worth about $121,000. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company purchased a new stake in Lincoln Educational Services in the second quarter worth about $123,000. Rhumbline Advisers increased its position in Lincoln Educational Services by 36.0% in the second quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 38,162 shares of the company’s stock worth $453,000 after buying an additional 10,095 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Weil Company Inc. grew its position in shares of Lincoln Educational Services by 12.3% during the second quarter. Weil Company Inc. now owns 41,125 shares of the company’s stock worth $488,000 after purchasing an additional 4,500 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 72.23% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, major shareholder Juniper Investment Company, Ll sold 60,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $16.62, for a total value of $997,200.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 605,005 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,055,183.10. This trade represents a 9.02 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CFO Brian K. Meyers sold 6,892 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $16.38, for a total value of $112,890.96. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 266,133 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,359,258.54. The trade was a 2.52 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 145,886 shares of company stock valued at $2,385,424 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 16.80% of the company’s stock.

Lincoln Educational Services Price Performance

Shares of Lincoln Educational Services stock opened at $16.43 on Monday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $13.68 and a 200 day moving average of $12.61. Lincoln Educational Services Co. has a 12 month low of $8.78 and a 12 month high of $18.74. The firm has a market cap of $517.22 million, a PE ratio of 51.35, a PEG ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 1.41. The company has a current ratio of 1.57, a quick ratio of 1.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17.

Lincoln Educational Services (NASDAQ:LINC) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, November 11th. The company reported $0.13 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.14 by ($0.01). Lincoln Educational Services had a net margin of 2.33% and a return on equity of 10.60%. The firm had revenue of $114.41 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $111.05 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.11 earnings per share. On average, research analysts expect that Lincoln Educational Services Co. will post 0.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently issued reports on the company. B. Riley increased their target price on Lincoln Educational Services from $15.00 to $20.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 7th. Rosenblatt Securities increased 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 report on Wednesday, October 9th. Finally, Barrington Research increased their target price on Lincoln Educational Services from $16.00 to $20.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, November 11th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Lincoln Educational Services presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $18.00.

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.