Next Century Growth Investors LLC Boosts Holdings in Lincoln Educational Services Corporation $LINC

Next Century Growth Investors LLC raised its holdings in Lincoln Educational Services Corporation (NASDAQ:LINC) by 4.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 791,271 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 31,370 shares during the quarter. Lincoln Educational Services makes up approximately 1.3% of Next Century Growth Investors LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 26th largest holding. Next Century Growth Investors LLC’s holdings in Lincoln Educational Services were worth $19,109,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in LINC. Strs Ohio purchased a new stake in Lincoln Educational Services in the 1st quarter valued at about $48,000. State of Wyoming purchased a new stake in shares of Lincoln Educational Services during the 3rd quarter worth about $54,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Lincoln Educational Services during the 2nd quarter worth about $116,000. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC grew its holdings in shares of Lincoln Educational Services by 1,081.1% during the 2nd quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 5,681 shares of the company’s stock worth $131,000 after purchasing an additional 5,200 shares during the period. Finally, Legal & General Group Plc grew its holdings in shares of Lincoln Educational Services by 156.1% during the 2nd quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 5,740 shares of the company’s stock worth $132,000 after purchasing an additional 3,499 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 72.23% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Kevin M. Carney sold 3,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $48.00, for a total transaction of $144,000.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 25,039 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,201,872. The trade was a 10.70% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, SVP Alexandra M. Luster sold 1,993 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $50.11, for a total value of $99,869.23. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 100,363 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,029,189.93. The trade was a 1.95% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 77,063 shares of company stock valued at $3,813,624. Insiders own 12.80% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

LINC has been the subject of a number of research reports. Barrington Research boosted their target price on Lincoln Educational Services from $45.00 to $56.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 12th. Lake Street Capital reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $55.00 target price on shares of Lincoln Educational Services in a report on Tuesday, May 12th. Weiss Ratings cut Lincoln Educational Services from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Friday, May 8th. Northland Securities set a $60.00 target price on Lincoln Educational Services in a report on Thursday, May 28th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut Lincoln Educational Services from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, February 23rd. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Lincoln Educational Services currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $54.17.

Lincoln Educational Services Stock Performance

Lincoln Educational Services stock opened at $46.15 on Friday. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $44.90 and its 200 day moving average price is $34.42. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.46 billion, a PE ratio of 65.00, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.93 and a beta of 0.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a current ratio of 0.83. Lincoln Educational Services Corporation has a one year low of $17.29 and a one year high of $53.50.

Lincoln Educational Services (NASDAQ:LINC) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, May 11th. The company reported $0.14 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.04 by $0.10. The firm had revenue of $143.96 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $135.66 million. Lincoln Educational Services had a return on equity of 15.25% and a net margin of 4.11%.Lincoln Educational Services has set its FY 2026 guidance at 0.740-0.830 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Lincoln Educational Services Corporation will post 0.78 EPS for the current fiscal year.

About Lincoln Educational Services

Lincoln Educational Services Corporation is a publicly traded provider of career-focused post-secondary vocational education in the United States. Operating under the Lincoln Tech and Lincoln Culinary Institute brands, the company delivers hands-on technical instruction across high-growth industries. Its mission centers on equipping students with practical skills and industry credentials designed to meet employer needs.

The company’s program offerings span automotive technology, skilled trades, health sciences, information technology, culinary arts and public safety.