Buy now for a momentum-with-growth setup: longer-term trend remains bullish (SMA_5 > SMA_20 > SMA_200) while price is sitting near a defined pivot (~26.73), offering a clean, actionable entry area.
Street view is supportive (recent target raises to $28 and $33 with Buy/Outperform), and the narrative catalysts (campus expansion + skilled-trades demand) align with continued top-line growth.
Main near-term risk is weakening short-term momentum (MACD histogram negative and expanding) plus elevated insider selling; however, current price is close to support, which limits how far you are from an obvious line-in-the-sand (S1 ~25.61).
Technical Analysis
Trend: Bullish structure on moving averages (SMA_5 > SMA_20 > SMA_200) suggests the primary trend is up.
Momentum: MACD histogram at -0.0774 and negatively expanding indicates near-term momentum is fading/pulling back.
RSI: RSI_6 at 51.1 is neutral, consistent with consolidation rather than an overbought breakdown.
Key levels: Pivot 26.732 (price 26.645 slightly below), Support S1 25.605 then S2 24.909; Resistance R1 27.859 then R2 28.555.
Pattern-based outlook (given data): modeled probabilities imply modest upside bias over 1 week (+0.94%) and stronger 1 month skew (+9.4%), supporting a “buy now” for an impatient entry rather than waiting.
Options Data
Bullish
Open Interest Put-Call Ratio
Bullish
Option Volume Put-Call Ratio
Positioning (OI): Put/Call OI ratio 0.84 (calls > puts) = mildly bullish sentiment/positioning.
Activity (volume): reported option volume is 0 today, so sentiment from flow is not informative in this snapshot.
Volatility: IV30 ~47.48 vs HV ~38.43 suggests options are pricing elevated forward movement; IV percentile ~59.6 is mid-to-high (not extreme), consistent with event risk into earnings (2026-02-27 pre-market).
Open interest: total OI ~2131 (calls 1161, puts 970) = reasonable participation, but not signaling a crowded one-sided trade.
Technical Summary
Sell
4
Buy
6
Positive Catalysts
with Buy/Outperform tone; one shop called it a top pick for
Growth narrative: expanding training programs targeting large projected labor gaps (technical roles, transportation techs, healthcare support roles).
Neutral/Negative Catalysts
could pressure the stock quickly.
Financial Performance
Latest quarter provided: 2025/Q3.
Revenue: 141.389M, up +23.58% YoY (strong growth trend).
Profitability: Net income 3.799M, down -3.90% YoY; EPS 0.12, down -7.69% YoY (growth is present, but bottom-line did not expand YoY in the quarter).
Margins: Gross margin 59.49%, up +2.57% YoY (constructive—supports the bull case of improving unit economics as campuses scale).
Growth
Profitability
Efficiency
Analyst Ratings and Price Target Trends
2026-01-27 (B. Riley): reiterated Buy; price target raised to $33 from $27. Rationale: confidence in disciplined campus expansion, underwriting, and continued margin expansion into FY27.
2026-01-07 (Northland): reiterated Outperform; price target raised to $28 from $26; flagged as a top pick for 2026 due to faster-than-expected scaling and organic growth opportunities.
Wall Street pros: visible growth runway (new campuses), improving gross margin, and supportive demand tailwinds for skilled trades/healthcare training.
Wall Street cons: near-term profitability/EPS variability (as expansion costs flow through) and execution risk around scaling new campuses into sustained earnings growth.
Wall Street analysts forecast LINC stock price to rise over the next 12 months. According to Wall Street analysts, the average 1-year price target for LINC is 27 USD with a low forecast of 26 USD and a high forecast of 28 USD. However, analyst price targets are subjective and often lag stock prices, so investors should focus on the objective reasons behind analyst rating changes, which better reflect the company's fundamentals.
4 Analyst Rating
Wall Street analysts forecast LINC stock price to rise over the next 12 months. According to Wall Street analysts, the average 1-year price target for LINC is 27 USD with a low forecast of 26 USD and a high forecast of 28 USD. However, analyst price targets are subjective and often lag stock prices, so investors should focus on the objective reasons behind analyst rating changes, which better reflect the company's fundamentals.
4 Buy
0 Hold
0 Sell
Strong Buy
Current: 25.510
Low
26
Averages
27
High
28
Current: 25.510
Low
26
Averages
27
High
28
B. Riley
Griffin Boss
Buy
maintain
$27 -> $33
AI Analysis
2026-01-27
Reason
B. Riley
Griffin Boss
Price Target
$27 -> $33
AI Analysis
2026-01-27
maintain
Buy
Reason
B. Riley analyst Griffin Boss raised the firm's price target on Lincoln Educational to $33 from $27 and keeps a Buy rating on the shares. The Q4 results are expected to come in essentially in line with consensus and management guidance, with strong FY25 growth setting the stage for continued margin expansion into FY27, the analyst tells investors in a research note. The firm has confidence in Lincoln's disciplined campus expansion strategy, proven underwriting, and the expectation that new greenfield campuses will continue to generate IRRs above the 20% hurdle, supporting sustained earnings growth.
Northland
Outperform
maintain
$26 -> $28
2026-01-07
Reason
Northland
Price Target
$26 -> $28
2026-01-07
maintain
Outperform
Reason
Northland raised the firm's price target on Lincoln Educational to $28 from $26 and keeps an Outperform rating on the shares, which the analyst identifies as a top stock pick for 2026. The company is well positioned for continued growth and execution, given that new campuses are scaling quicker than expected and it has multiple organic growth opportunities, the analyst tells investors.
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