Essex Investment Management Co. LLC Sells 44,099 Shares of Lincoln Educational Services Co. (NASDAQ:LINC)

Essex Investment Management Co. LLC lessened its stake in shares of Lincoln Educational Services Co. (NASDAQ:LINC) by 9.9% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 399,640 shares of the company’s stock after selling 44,099 shares during the period. Lincoln Educational Services comprises approximately 1.1% of Essex Investment Management Co. LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 17th biggest holding. Essex Investment Management Co. LLC owned approximately 1.27% of Lincoln Educational Services worth $6,322,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Bailard Inc. raised its stake in shares of Lincoln Educational Services by 24.5% during the fourth quarter. Bailard Inc. now owns 84,900 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,343,000 after acquiring an additional 16,693 shares in the last quarter. AMH Equity Ltd raised its stake in shares of Lincoln Educational Services by 60.0% during the fourth quarter. AMH Equity Ltd now owns 80,000 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,266,000 after acquiring an additional 30,000 shares in the last quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Lincoln Educational Services during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $288,000. Calamos Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Lincoln Educational Services by 38.7% during the fourth quarter. Calamos Advisors LLC now owns 91,629 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,450,000 after buying an additional 25,560 shares during the period. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its holdings in Lincoln Educational Services by 248.7% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 39,646 shares of the company’s stock valued at $473,000 after buying an additional 28,275 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 72.23% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Rosenblatt Securities lifted their price objective on shares of Lincoln Educational Services from $20.00 to $24.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. Barrington Research reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $20.00 price objective 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.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $19.75.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, major shareholder Juniper Investment Company, Ll sold 61,289 shares of Lincoln Educational Services stock in a transaction on Monday, December 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $16.19, for a total transaction of $992,268.91. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 425,544 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,889,557.36. The trade was a 12.59 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 16.80% of the company’s stock.

Lincoln Educational Services Price Performance

NASDAQ LINC opened at $15.80 on Friday. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $16.51 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $14.73. 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 Co. has a 12-month low of $9.29 and a 12-month high of $19.79. The firm has a market capitalization of $497.37 million, a P/E ratio of 49.38, a P/E/G ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 1.61.

Lincoln Educational Services (NASDAQ:LINC) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 24th. The company reported $0.31 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 business had revenue of $119.37 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $110.50 million. Analysts forecast that Lincoln Educational Services Co. will post 0.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lincoln Educational Services 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.