LINC
NEUTRAL
$40.86
Live
Lincoln Educational Services Corporation · NASDAQ
Target $44.8
(+9.6%)
$16.11
52W Range
$42.85
At a glance
Key valuation, profitability, growth, and risk metrics.
Updated Apr 13, 2026
Market cap
$1.3B
P/E
63.84
ROE
10.6%
Profit margin
3.9%
Debt/Equity
1.02
Dividend yield
N/A
AI Analysis
AI-powered fundamental assessment
Confidence
85%
LINC presents a dichotomy between explosive growth and severe overvaluation, anchored by a stable but mediocre Piotroski F-Score of 4/9. While the company boasts exceptional earnings growth (87.1% YoY) and a consistent track record of beating estimates, it trades at a massive premium to its Graham Number ($9.54) and Intrinsic Value ($18.88). Liquidity is a concern with a current ratio of 0.86, and heavy insider selling suggests a lack of confidence at current price levels despite the 'strong_buy' analyst consensus.
Key Strengths
Exceptional earnings growth of 87.1% YoY
Strong revenue growth trajectory (19.7% YoY)
High gross margins of 60.37%
Consistent history of earnings surprises (3/4 beats in last 4 quarters)
Impressive long-term price performance (+549.6% over 5 years)
Key Risks
Severe valuation gap between current price ($40.86) and intrinsic value ($18.88)
Liquidity risk indicated by a current ratio below 1.0 (0.86)
Aggressive insider selling totaling $16.84M in the last 6 months
Unsustainable PEG ratio of 3.95
Strongly bearish technical trend (10/100)
AI Fair Value Estimate
Based on comprehensive analysis
$23.88
-41.6% below current price
Performance Snowflake
Multi-dimensional analysis across 5 key categories
Overall
47
Moderate
20
90
85
40
0
AI Verdict
Growth-Driven Premium
Key drivers: Hyper-growth earnings, Extreme valuation premium, Liquidity constraints
Confidence
80%
Value
20/100
Ref P/E, PEG, Graham Number
Positives
- High gross margins
Watchpoints
- P/E of 63.84
- PEG of 3.95
- Price is 4x the Graham Number
Future
90/100
Ref Growth rates
Positives
- 87.1% Earnings Growth
- 19.7% Revenue Growth
Watchpoints
- Growth may be priced in
Past
85/100
Ref Historical trends
Positives
- 5Y Change +549.6%
- Consistent EPS beats
Watchpoints
No urgent risks highlighted.
Health
40/100
Ref Altman Z-Score, Piotroski F-Score
Positives
- Piotroski F-Score 4/9 (Stable)
Watchpoints
- Current Ratio 0.86
- Debt/Equity 1.02
Dividend
0/100
Ref Yield, Payout
Positives
No standout positives identified.
Watchpoints
- No dividend payments
Stock Price & Analyst Targets
Real-time price movements and analyst price targets
Current Price
$40.86
Analyst Target
$44.8
Upside/Downside
+9.6%
Multi-Horizon Performance vs Peers
Price momentum across 5Y → 1W horizons for LINC and closest competitors.
Updated 2026-04-10
| Company | 5Y | 3Y | 1Y | 6M | 1M | 1W |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
LINC
Lincoln Educational Services Corporation
Primary
|
+549.6% | +536.5% | +143.2% | +91.9% | +10.8% | -2.1% |
|
AFYA
Afya Limited
Peer
|
-35.4% | +25.8% | -14.1% | -11.8% | -11.3% | -0.7% |
|
APEI
American Public Education, Inc.
Peer
|
+68.2% | +522.7% | +173.3% | +61.5% | +33.4% | +28.1% |
|
JJSF
J&J Snack Foods Corp.
Peer
|
-42.3% | -42.0% | -35.6% | -10.7% | +0.5% | +4.1% |
|
JBSS
John B. Sanfilippo & Son, Inc.
Peer
|
+8.7% | -6.4% | +29.0% | +35.0% | +8.4% | +0.3% |
LIN
Lincoln Educational Services Corporation
Primary
5Y
+549.6%
3Y
+536.5%
1Y
+143.2%
6M
+91.9%
1M
+10.8%
1W
-2.1%
AFY
Afya Limited
Peer
5Y
-35.4%
3Y
+25.8%
1Y
-14.1%
6M
-11.8%
1M
-11.3%
1W
-0.7%
APE
American Public Education, Inc.
Peer
5Y
+68.2%
3Y
+522.7%
1Y
+173.3%
6M
+61.5%
1M
+33.4%
1W
+28.1%
JJS
J&J Snack Foods Corp.
Peer
5Y
-42.3%
3Y
-42.0%
1Y
-35.6%
6M
-10.7%
1M
+0.5%
1W
+4.1%
JBS
John B. Sanfilippo & Son, Inc.
Peer
5Y
+8.7%
3Y
-6.4%
1Y
+29.0%
6M
+35.0%
1M
+8.4%
1W
+0.3%
Positive values indicate cumulative gains over the specified period. Comparables pulled from the same sector to highlight whether momentum is stock-specific or industry-wide.
Historical Performance Trends
Long-term financial metrics and growth patterns
Revenue & Net Income
Profit & Operating Margins
Return on Equity (ROE)
Quarterly Revenue Growth
Historical data shows last 12 quarters (3 years)
Valuation Metrics
Key valuation ratios and pricing indicators
P/E Ratio
63.84
Forward P/E
38.37
PEG Ratio
3.95
P/B Ratio
6.47
P/S Ratio
2.51
EV/Revenue
2.85
EV/EBITDA
29.67
Market Cap
$1.3B
Profitability
Profit margins and return metrics
Profit Margin
3.86%
Operating Margin
11.81%
Gross Margin
60.37%
ROE
10.58%
ROA
3.9%
Growth
Revenue and earnings growth rates
Revenue Growth
+19.7%
Earnings Growth
+87.1%
Q/Q Revenue Growth
+19.69%
Q/Q Earnings Growth
+85.8%
Financial Health
Balance sheet strength and liquidity metrics
Debt/Equity
1.02
Moderate
Current Ratio
0.86
Weak
Quick Ratio
0.75
Poor
Cash/Share
$0.9
Financial Statement Flow
Interactive flow visualization showing how money moves through the company Q4 2025
Revenue
$0.1B
Gross Margin
62.3%
Op. Margin
11.8%
Net Margin
8.9%
Total Assets
$0.5B
Liabilities
$0.3B
Equity
$0.2B
Debt/Equity
1.47x
Operating CF
$0.0B
CapEx
$-0.0B
Free Cash Flow
$0.0B
FCF Yield
57%
Quarterly Earnings History
EPS performance vs analyst estimates
2026-05-11
$N/A
2026-02-23
$0.5
+20.1% surprise
2025-11-10
$0.2
+68.7% surprise
2025-08-11
$0.05
+308.3% surprise
Consumer Defensive Sector Comparison
Comparing LINC against 85 companies in the Consumer Defensive sector
(5 bullish, 37 neutral, 43 bearish)
P/E Ratio
63.84
This Stock
vs
30.55
Sector Avg
+109.0%
(Expensive)
Return on Equity (ROE)
10.58%
This Stock
vs
-22.11%
Sector Avg
-147.9%
(Below Avg)
Profit Margin
3.86%
This Stock
vs
-6.11%
Sector Avg
-163.1%
(Weaker)
Debt to Equity
1.02
This Stock
vs
1.37
Sector Avg
-25.3%
(Less Debt)
Revenue Growth
19.7%
This Stock
vs
4.24%
Sector Avg
+365.1%
(Fast Growth)
Current Ratio
0.86
This Stock
vs
2.27
Sector Avg
-61.9%
(Weaker)
Similar Companies
Peer comparison within the same industry
| Company | AI Rating | Market Cap | P/E | ROE | Profit Margin | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
LINC
Lincoln Educational...
|
NEUTRAL | $1.3B | 63.84 | 10.6% | 3.9% | $40.86 | |
|
AFYA
Afya Limited
|
NEUTRAL | $1.25B | 8.94 | 16.7% | 20.1% | $13.76 | Compare |
|
APEI
American Public Education, Inc.
|
BEARISH | $1.04B | 44.02 | 10.5% | 4.9% | $57.66 | Compare |
|
JJSF
J&J Snack Foods Corp.
|
BEARISH | $1.57B | 26.19 | 6.6% | 3.9% | $82.49 | Compare |
|
JBSS
John B. Sanfilippo & Son, Inc.
|
NEUTRAL | $963.93M | 13.77 | 20.2% | 6.2% | $82.48 | Compare |
LINC
Lincoln...
NEUTRAL
Mkt Cap
$1.3B
P/E
63.8
ROE
10.6%
Price
$40.86
Recent Insider Trading
Insider buy and sell transactions from the last 6 months
| Date | Insider | Position | Transaction | Shares | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-03-10 | NYCE CHAD D | Chief Operating Officer | Sale | 8,450 | $308,425 |
| 2026-03-06 | YOUNG SYLVIA JEAN | Director | Sale | 7,959 | $285,012 |
| 2026-03-02 | PLATER MICHAEL A | Director | Sale | 17,256 | $616,557 |
| 2026-02-27 | SHAW SCOTT M | Chief Executive Officer | Stock Award | 9,991 | - |
| 2026-02-27 | MEYERS BRIAN KEITH | Chief Financial Officer | Stock Award | 4,329 | - |
| 2026-02-27 | ACE STEPHEN E | Officer | Stock Award | 833 | - |
| 2026-02-27 | NYCE CHAD D | Chief Operating Officer | Stock Award | 4,329 | - |
| 2026-02-27 | LUSTER ALEXANDRA M | General Counsel | Stock Award | 833 | - |
| 2026-02-26 | BURKE JAMES J JR. | Director | Sale | 8,557 | $297,421 |
| 2026-02-25 | JUNIPER INVESTMENT COMPANY, LLC | Affiliated Person | Sale | 275,000 | $9,500,645 |
| 2026-02-25 | JUNIPER INVESTMENT COMPANY, LLC | Affiliated Person | Sale | 150,000 | $5,350,500 |
| 2026-02-19 | SHAW SCOTT M | Chief Executive Officer | Stock Award | 70,716 | - |
| 2026-02-19 | MEYERS BRIAN KEITH | Chief Financial Officer | Stock Award | 32,145 | - |
| 2026-02-19 | ACE STEPHEN E | Officer | Stock Award | 4,821 | - |
| 2026-02-19 | NYCE CHAD D | Chief Operating Officer | Stock Award | 32,145 | - |
NYCE CHAD D
Chief Operating Officer
2026-03-10
8,450 shares
·
$308,425
YOUNG SYLVIA JEAN
Director
2026-03-06
7,959 shares
·
$285,012
PLATER MICHAEL A
Director
2026-03-02
17,256 shares
·
$616,557
SHAW SCOTT M
Chief Executive Officer
2026-02-27
9,991 shares
MEYERS BRIAN KEITH
Chief Financial Officer
2026-02-27
4,329 shares
ACE STEPHEN E
Officer
2026-02-27
833 shares
NYCE CHAD D
Chief Operating Officer
2026-02-27
4,329 shares
LUSTER ALEXANDRA M
General Counsel
2026-02-27
833 shares
BURKE JAMES J JR.
Director
2026-02-26
8,557 shares
·
$297,421
JUNIPER INVESTMENT COMPANY, LLC
Affiliated Person
2026-02-25
275,000 shares
·
$9,500,645
JUNIPER INVESTMENT COMPANY, LLC
Affiliated Person
2026-02-25
150,000 shares
·
$5,350,500
SHAW SCOTT M
Chief Executive Officer
2026-02-19
70,716 shares
MEYERS BRIAN KEITH
Chief Financial Officer
2026-02-19
32,145 shares
ACE STEPHEN E
Officer
2026-02-19
4,821 shares
NYCE CHAD D
Chief Operating Officer
2026-02-19
32,145 shares
Insider transactions can signal confidence or concerns about company prospects
Wall Street Analysts
Professional analyst ratings and price targets
Consensus
STRONG_BUY
5 analysts
B. Riley Securities
2026-03-20
Buy
Buy
Barrington Research
2026-03-20
Outperform
Outperform
Lake Street
2026-03-20
Buy
Buy
Rosenblatt
2026-03-20
Buy
Buy
Lake Street
2026-02-24
Buy
Buy
B. Riley Securities
2026-02-24
Buy
Buy
Rosenblatt
2026-02-24
Buy
Buy
Barrington Research
2026-02-23
Outperform
Outperform
Barrington Research
2026-02-19
Outperform
Outperform
B. Riley Securities
2026-01-27
Buy
Buy
Past News Coverage
Recent headlines mentioning LINC from our newsroom.
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