Lincoln Educational Services Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, provides various career-oriented postsecondary education services to high school graduates and working adults in the United States.
FAIL · Does not pass the screen
21.68 USD
Price as of 23 Oct 2026Daily close, not a live quoteLast reviewed 5 days ago
Screened 2026-10-23 · the tape above runs as of 18:04 UTC · two dates, stated on purpose · verdict and workings shown in full · never trimmed
Key facts today
Price21.68 USD at the 23 Oct 2026 close
Ethical screenDoes not pass
OptionsOpen interest leans to puts (put/call 2.89)
Last reviewed23 Oct 2026 (5 days ago)
A summary of the dated readings below, not a live quote and not advice.
PRICE · FAIR-VALUE RANGE1M3M6MYTD1Y3Y5Y
What this means: price 21.68 against the desk's fair-value range, base estimate 35.44, over the last year.
Positioning no disclosures inside 60 days, left as found
Options put/call open interest 2.89, read 2026-10-24
Ethical does not pass the values gate
Price21.68 USD
Fair value35.44
Ethical score70.0/100
Our investment reviews on this name
2026-10-02Read Markdown25.18-13.9% to today ✓Distribution gives way to Markdown after a 41% slide in 8 weeks
2026-08-04Read Distribution42.95-49.5% to today ✓Markup gives way to Distribution after a 7% slide in 5 weeks
2026-07-02Read Markup46.15-53.0% to today First review on file: Markup
Our analytic regime reads on this name, dated and marked against the screened price. Small sample per name, and separate from the daily-framework accuracy on the Track Record page.
Lincoln Educational Services Corporation holds its Markdown at $21.68. Consolidating, no directional conviction, held for 31 days.
As held on the ledger · 2026-10-23
Phase
Markdown · caution
Quantitative state
Consolidating, no directional conviction, held for 31 days
Price at the screen
$21.68
Valuation
34.49 trailing · 24.12 forward price to earnings
Values screen
FAIL· score 70.0
Beta
0.85
The Workings
Five Screens, Shown in Full
Does not pass. Debt ratio
Test
Figure
Limit
What it means
Status
Business activity
Permissible
Core business clean
Its core business isn't built on prohibited lines: no gambling, alcohol, tobacco, weapons, or interest-based lending.
Pass
Debt load
41.34%
Below 33%
Interest-bearing debt is 41.3% of its assets, above the one-third ceiling the screen allows.
Fail
Interest-bearing cash
0.00%
Below 33%
Cash held in interest-bearing accounts and securities is 0.0% of assets, under the one-third limit.
Pass
Receivables
13.27%
Below 49%
Money owed to the company is 13.3% of assets, under the 49% limit.
Pass
Revenue purity
0.02%
Below 5%
Only 0.0% of revenue comes from non-compliant sources, under the 5% line.
Pass
Five checks adapted from AAOIFI screening standards: business activity plus four balance-sheet ratios. All five must pass for ethical clearance. Every figure is arithmetic on public accounts, not judgement.
The Ethical Read
Why It Falls Short, in Plain English
Lincoln Educational Services's business is in a permissible area, but its interest-bearing debt is about 41% of the company, well over the ~33% line, so it does not pass on the financial screens.
Read as at 2026-10-27. It updates when the underlying figures move, and past reads are kept below.
Follow this verdict
Get an email when LINC's ethical verdict changes
Today LINC does not pass the screen. If new figures move it to a pass, we send you one short email with the before and after. Verdicts change rarely, so you may not hear from us for a long time.
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Fair value range in USD, drawn from the 2026-10-23 screen. The gold marker is the market price at the same screen. A 51.1% margin of safety to the base estimate.
Third-party analyst targets: 5 covering, consensus Strong Buy. The average target sits +131% from the screen price.
Reading the gap · Both our model and the analysts see meaningful upside from here.
Price History & Projections
Where it has been, where the models see it going. History from market close data; projection points are our fair-value estimates and third-party analyst targets, dated to the 2026-10-23 screen.
Fair value and rating are our own model estimates; the Street's range reflects third-party analyst estimates. Analysis, not advice.
The Business, in Plain Words
Premium price for thin education margins
Think of a high school leaver signing up for career training at Lincoln. The fees come in, yet the business turns only 4% into profit while delivering 12% returns on equity. Growth at 22% revenue looks lively on paper, but the numbers stop short of anything compelling.
We pass because the shares trade at 39.7 times forward earnings with a negative margin of safety and an opportunity rating of none. The ethical screen clears, yet the valuation leaves no room for error even if growth holds.
Revenue expansion can mask weak profitability for only so long. At current levels the price already prices in strong execution that the returns do not yet support.
The risks · The things to watch: it's a small-cap, so the share price can swing harder than the market.
Plain-English interpretation of our own screen data. Analysis, not advice.
Where & How to Trade
LINC trades on Nasdaq. As a listed security it is accessible through almost any international broker offering its home market. New to this, or investing from abroad? Our guide to accessing global markets covers brokers, currencies and the practical steps.
The Dated Journal · Newest First, Never Edited
Every Entry, As Written
2026-10-25Markdown$23.45+0.0%Entry 8
The analysis reads markdown. Price is trending lower. Sellers are in control and the prior trend has reversed. Price has moved down 0.0% since our last review. Ethical screening: FAIL. This security does not pass our values-based screening criteria. The risk-adjusted return profile shows good risk-adjusted returns. Our composite framework grades it C, carrying a low risk profile. Technically it is momentum reading neutral. Over the past year the shares are up 121%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 44%. The street (5 analysts) rates it none, with a mean price target of $57.
2026-10-18Markdown$23.45-6.9%Entry 7
The analysis reads markdown. Price is trending lower. Sellers are in control and the prior trend has reversed. Price has moved down 6.9% since our last review. Ethical screening: FAIL. This security does not pass our values-based screening criteria. The risk-adjusted return profile shows good risk-adjusted returns. Our composite framework grades it C, carrying a low risk profile. Technically it is holding around 65% above its long-term trend line with momentum reading bullish. Over the past year the shares are up 121%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 44%. The street (5 analysts) rates it none, with a mean price target of $57.
2026-10-02Markdown · changed$25.18-15.5%Entry 6
The framework has shifted from distribution to markdown since the last review. Price is trending lower. Sellers are in control and the prior trend has reversed. Price has moved down 15.5% since our last review. Ethical screening: FAIL. This security does not pass our values-based screening criteria. The risk-adjusted return profile shows good risk-adjusted returns. Our composite framework grades it B, carrying a low risk profile. Technically it is holding around 65% above its long-term trend line with momentum reading bullish. Over the past year the shares are up 121%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 44%. The street (5 analysts) rates it none, with a mean price target of $57. Since the last review it its composite score rose.
2026-09-04Distribution$29.80-30.6%Entry 5
Our analysis reads distribution. Smart money appears to be selling into strength. Institutional holders may be rotating out. Price has moved down 30.6% since our last review. Ethical screening: FAIL. This security does not pass our values-based screening criteria. The risk-adjusted return profile shows good risk-adjusted returns. Our composite framework grades it B, carrying a low risk profile. Technically it is holding around 65% above its long-term trend line with momentum reading bullish. Over the past year the shares are up 121%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 44%. The street (5 analysts) rates it none, with a mean price target of $57.
The framework has shifted from markup to distribution since the last review. Smart money appears to be selling into strength. Institutional holders may be rotating out. Price has moved down 6.9% since our last review. Ethical screening: FAIL. This security does not pass our values-based screening criteria. The risk-adjusted return profile shows excellent risk-adjusted returns. Our composite framework grades it B, carrying a low risk profile. Technically it is holding around 65% above its long-term trend line with momentum reading bullish. Over the past year the shares are up 121%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 44%. The street (5 analysts) rates it none, with a mean price target of $57.
2026-07-18Markup$46.15+0.0%Entry 3
Our analysis reads markup. Price is trending higher with momentum. The crowd has caught on and buyers are in control. Price has moved down 0.0% since our last review. Ethical screening: PASS with passing ethical screen. The risk-adjusted return profile shows excellent risk-adjusted returns. Our composite framework grades it B, carrying a low risk profile. Technically it is holding around 65% above its long-term trend line with momentum reading bullish. Over the past year the shares are up 121%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 44%. The street (5 analysts) rates it none, with a mean price target of $57.
2026-07-03Markup$46.15+0.0%Entry 2
Our analysis reads markup. Price is trending higher with momentum. The crowd has caught on and buyers are in control. Price has moved down 0.0% since our last review. Ethical screening: PASS with passing ethical screen (70). The risk-adjusted return profile shows excellent risk-adjusted returns.
2026-07-02Markup$46.15Entry 1
Our analysis reads markup. Price is trending higher with momentum. The crowd has caught on and buyers are in control. Ethical screening: PASS with passing ethical screen (70). The risk-adjusted return profile shows excellent risk-adjusted returns.
Each entry above was written on its date, before the outcome. A journal you can prune is not a journal.
