Lincoln Educational Services Corporation (LINC) AI Stock Analysis

Lincoln Educational Services Corporation offers career-focused post-secondary education to recent high school graduates and adult learners. The company operates through two primary segments: Transportation and Skilled Trades, and Healthcare and Other Professions. Its offerings encompass associate's degree, diploma, and certificate programs in areas including automotive technology, electrical systems, HVAC repair, welding, CNC machining, nursing, and dental and medical assisting. It also provides training in hospitality fields like culinary arts and cosmetology, alongside information technology programs. Operating 22 campuses across 14 states under brands such as Lincoln Technical Institute and Lincoln College of Technology, the company prepares students for high-demand trades.

Lincoln Educational Services grew its annual revenue from $335.3M in FY2021 to $518.2M in FY2025, reflecting a 5-year revenue CAGR of 12.1%. Gross margin expanded to 60.4% in FY2025 from 58.7% in FY2024, while operating margin came in at 5.8%. Net income reached $20.0M in FY2025 with EPS of $0.90, compared to $9.9M and $0.55 in FY2024. For the trailing twelve months, revenue totaled $570.8M with a profit margin of 4.0% and an operating margin of 2.3%. In the quarter ended June 30, 2026, quarterly revenue increased 22.4% year-over-year, while quarterly earnings rose 20.0%.

As of June 30, 2026, the company held $44.2M in cash and short-term investments against $228.1M in total debt, leading to net debt of $183.9M. Its current ratio stood at 0.96 and the debt-to-equity ratio was 1.13, supported by shareholders' equity of $202.4M and total assets of $529.8M. Operating cash flow improved to $59.2M in FY2025, up from $29.3M in FY2024. However, capital expenditures of $86.6M in FY2025 resulted in negative free cash flow of -$27.4M. Over the past five years, the share count increased by 24.8%.

At a share price of $22.22, the company holds a market capitalization of $704.9M and an enterprise value of $952.5M. The stock trades at a trailing P/E of 30.4x and a forward P/E of 26.0x, above the median of its US-listed Consumer Defensive peers at 18.6x and 14.3x, respectively. Its enterprise value-to-EBITDA ratio is 16.2x, compared to the peer median of 11.7x. Over the past year, the shares gained 3.3%, trailing the 16.8% return of the S&P 500, though its five-year return of 229.2% outpaced the benchmark's 83.0%.

Wall Street coverage includes 4 Strong Buy ratings and 1 Buy rating. The mean price target of $48.20 stands 116.9% above the last closing price of $22.22. For the fiscal year ending December 31, 2026, consensus estimates project revenue of $593.9M and EPS of $0.77, which represents an EPS decline of 14.7%. For the following year, 5 analysts anticipate revenue of $647.9M and EPS of $1.05. Lincoln Educational Services beat EPS estimates in each of the last 4 quarters, with its next earnings report scheduled for November 9, 2026.

This page is an AI-written research summary of Lincoln Educational Services Corporation (LINC). The text was generated on October 30, 2026 from Quotelinks data as of October 16, 2026 (company profile, annual results, latest balance sheet, valuation, price performance and analyst estimates). An automatic check rejects any draft that contains a figure not found in that data. It is not investment advice; verify figures on the linked tabs before making decisions.

Related: LINC income statement, LINC balance sheet, LINC key metrics, LINC analyst forecast, LINC chart. See the LINC stock overview for the latest quote and news.