Four consecutive earnings beats and industry-leading 22% revenue growth demonstrate real operating momentum, but free cash flow is negative and the shares trade at a forward P/E of 41.4 times with a PEG of 3.78 — a combination that prices in considerable execution and leaves little margin of safety.
Thesis pillars
- Negative Free Cash Flow→Stable
- Earnings Beat Consistency→Stable
- Industry Leading Revenue Growth→Stable
- +1 more pillar — see the Why tab for full reasoning
Lincoln Educational Services Co (LINC) Stock Analysis
Consumer Defensive · Education & Training Services
Sell if holding. At $54.20, A.R:R is negative (-0.5) — price has exceeded the analyst target. Reward from here is too thin for a buy — the engine flags exit. Additional concerns: Concentration risk — Regulatory: Title IV Programs (U.S. Department of Education) (85.0%); Concentration risk — Product: Skilled Trades (52.0%).
Lincoln Educational Services provides career-oriented postsecondary education across 22 campuses in 12 states under the Lincoln Technical Institute, Lincoln College of Technology and Nashville Auto Diesel College brands, offering programs in skilled trades, automotive, health... Read more
Sell if holding. At $54.20, A.R:R is negative (-0.5) — price has exceeded the analyst target. Reward from here is too thin for a buy — the engine flags exit. Additional concerns: Concentration risk — Regulatory: Title IV Programs (U.S. Department of Education) (85.0%); Concentration risk — Product: Skilled Trades (52.0%). Chart setup: No clear chart pattern; technical signals are mixed. Score 5.3/10, moderate confidence.
Passes 6/8 gates (positive momentum, no SEC red flags, news events none recent, earnings proximity 36d clear, semi cycle peak clear, materials cycle peak clear). Fails on favorable risk/reward ratio and clean insider activity. Suitability: aggressive.
About Lincoln Educational Services Co
About Lincoln Educational Services Co
Lincoln Educational Services enrolled 17,046 students across 22 campuses in 12 states as of December 31, 2025, generating $518.2 million in revenue, up 17.8% from the prior year. Skilled trades programs -- electrical, HVAC, welding and CNC machining -- represented 52% of average enrollment, followed by automotive at 26% and health sciences/IT programs at 22%, with approximately 85% of the company's revenue derived from federal Title IV student financial aid programs.
Lincoln generates tuition revenue from diploma, certificate and associate degree programs ranging 27 to 104 weeks, with tuition from $14,500 to $44,000, funded primarily through federal student aid administered under Title IV of the Higher Education Act. The company recruits through digital marketing, referrals (about 11% of new student starts) and a field sales team of roughly 286 campus-based and regional representatives, with 23% of 2025 students recruited directly out of high school. Lincoln operates two reportable segments, Campus Operations and Transitional (the latter empty as of December 31, 2025, following the January 2025 sale of its Summerlin, Las Vegas campus), and is expanding with new campuses in Rowlett, Texas and Hicksville, New York expected to open in 2026 and 2027, respectively. Approximately 270 of the company's 2,590 employees are covered by collective bargaining agreements expiring between 2026 and 2030.
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Lincoln's Title IV dependency creates two distinct binary compliance thresholds beyond ordinary accreditation risk: the DOE's 90/10 Rule, which would make an institution immediately ineligible for Title IV funding if federal-funds revenue exceeds 90% of total revenue for two consecutive years, and gainful-employment debt-to-earnings tests that could strip Title IV eligibility program-by-program if graduates' debt-to-earnings ratios fail regulatory benchmarks for two of three consecutive years. With Title IV already funding about 85% of Lincoln's revenue, either threshold leaves limited room before a compliance failure at even a subset of programs could force enrollment declines the company has flagged as materially adverse to its business.
See also: Consumer Defensive · Education & Training Services
From Lincoln Educational Services Co's most recent 10-K filing, extracted July 6, 2026.
Recent developments
updated 2026-07-07Recent Developments — Lincoln Educational Services Co
Latest news
- NEWS Lincoln Educational Services (NASDAQ:LINC) Sets New 1-Year High - Time to Buy? - MarketBeat — MarketBeat positive
- NEWS A Look At Lincoln Educational Services (LINC) Valuation After Strong Recent Share Price Momentum - Yahoo Finance — Yahoo Finance neutral
- NEWS Lincoln Educational Services stock reaches all-time high at $42.90 - Investing.com — Investing.com positive
- NEWS Lincoln Educational (LINC) To Report Earnings Tomorrow: Here Is What To Expect - StockStory — StockStory neutral
- NEWS Why Lincoln Educational Services Stock Jumped 15% Today - The Motley Fool — The Motley Fool positive
Generated 2026-07-07T11:31:44Z.
Upcoming dated catalysts
Thesis
Key Metrics
Quality Signals
Options Flow
Concentration Risks(10-K Item 1A)
- HIGHregulatoryTitle IV Programs (U.S. Department of Education)85%10-K Item 1A: 'As we received approximately 85% of our revenue (calculated based on cash receipts) from Title IV Programs during the fiscal year ended December 31, 2025'
- HIGHProductSkilled Trades52%10-K Item 1: 'skilled trades were our largest area of study, representing 52% of our total average student enrollment.'
Model-generated analysis — not investment advice. Not a registered investment advisor. Past performance does not guarantee future results.
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Rating Breakdown
3 floor-breakers·1 ceiling hit
Priced at a premium — multiples above sector norms. Needs delivery on growth + margins to justify.static
Ranks in the bottom of its industry peers on the composite signal. Better names in the same sector exist.static
Technicals below the gate floor. Component breakdown shows what dragged the score down.static
Price Targets
Position Sizing
Risk Alerts
Earnings
Verdict History
Frequently Asked Questions
Sell if holding. At $54.20, A.R:R is negative (-0.5) — price has exceeded the analyst target. Reward from here is too thin for a buy — the engine flags exit. Additional concerns: Concentration risk — Regulatory: Title IV Programs (U.S. Department of Education) (85.0%); Concentration risk — Product: Skilled Trades (52.0%). Chart setup: No clear chart pattern; technical signals are mixed. Prior stop was $50.32. Score 5.3/10, moderate confidence.
Take-profit target: $53.89 (-0.4% upside). Prior stop was $50.32. Stop-loss: $50.32.
Concentration risk — Regulatory: Title IV Programs (U.S. Department of Education) (85.0%); Concentration risk — Product: Skilled Trades (52.0%); Analyst target reached - limited upside remaining.
Lincoln Educational Services Co trades at a P/E of 72.7 (forward 48.4). TrendMatrix value score: 3.1/10. Verdict: Sell.
12 analysts cover LINC with a consensus score of 4.2/5. Average price target: $57.
What does Lincoln Educational Services Co do?Lincoln Educational Services provides career-oriented postsecondary education across 22 campuses in 12 states under the...
Lincoln Educational Services provides career-oriented postsecondary education across 22 campuses in 12 states under the Lincoln Technical Institute, Lincoln College of Technology and Nashville Auto Diesel College brands, offering programs in skilled trades, automotive, health sciences and information technology. The company enrolled 17,046 students as of December 31, 2025 and generated $518.2 million in revenue, up 17.8% year-over-year, with skilled trades comprising 52% of average enrollment and approximately 85% of revenue derived from federal Title IV student financial aid programs.