Should I Buy LINC? LINC 2026 Analysis

Should You Buy Lincoln Educational Services Corp (LINC) Today? Analysis, Price Targets, and 2026 Outlook.

Conclusion

Buy

Latest Price

26.610

1 Day change

1.29%

52 Week Range

28.220

Analysis Updated At

2026/01/30

BUY now. Even without proprietary buy signals, LINC still screens as a good immediate buy because (1) the primary trend remains bullish (SMA_5 > SMA_20 > SMA_200, price holding near pivot ~26.65), (2) options positioning is strongly call-skewed (put/call ratios very low), and (3) Wall Street just raised price targets with reiterated Buy/Outperform ratings. Near-term momentum is slightly weakening (MACD histogram negative/expanding), but for an impatient buyer the uptrend + bullish sentiment outweigh the soft MACD and recent insider selling. Earnings are scheduled for 2026-02-27 pre-market (next major catalyst). Intellectia Proprietary Trading Signals: - [AI Stock Picker](module://ai_stock_pick): no signal on given stock today. - [SwingMax](module://swingmax): No signal on given stock recently.

Technical Analysis

Trend/structure: Bullish overall with moving averages stacked positively (SMA_5 > SMA_20 > SMA_200), suggesting an intact uptrend. Price closed at 26.64, essentially on the pivot (26.653). Momentum: MACD histogram is -0.0551 and negatively expanding, indicating short-term momentum is cooling even as the broader trend remains up. RSI(6) at ~57.8 is neutral-to-slightly-bullish (not overbought). Levels: Near support S1 ~25.51 (then S2 ~24.80). Near resistance R1 ~27.80 (then R2 ~28.51). Practical read: dip risk exists toward ~25.5, but trend bias remains upward while above support.

Options Data

Bullish

Open Interest Put-Call Ratio

Bullish

Option Volume Put-Call Ratio

Sentiment: Very bullish positioning (low put/call on both OI and volume). Open interest is call-heavy (call OI 3120 vs put OI 666). Activity: today’s volume is light (18 contracts) but volume vs 30D average is elevated (16.98x), implying a sudden spike from a typically quiet baseline. Volatility: IV(30d) ~49.4 vs HV ~57.1; IV percentile ~71.9 suggests options are relatively expensive versus their own recent history, consistent with elevated interest ahead of potential catalysts (earnings on 2026-02-27). Overall: options market leans bullish, expecting upside or positioning for it.

Technical Summary

Sell

Buy

Positive Catalysts

Analyst support improving: B. Riley raised PT to $33 (Buy) and Northland raised PT to $28 (Outperform, top pick), citing strong FY25 growth and margin expansion runway into FY27 plus disciplined campus expansion.
Earnings event ahead (2026-02-27 pre-market) can act as a near-term catalyst if guidance/print confirms growth trajectory.
Options skew heavily bullish (call-dominant OI/volume), supporting risk-on sentiment.

Neutral/Negative Catalysts

Insider selling is rising sharply (selling amount up ~237% over the last month), a notable sentiment headwind.
Short-term momentum deterioration: MACD histogram below zero and expanding negatively, raising the odds of a pullback/consolidation before the next leg higher.
Provided news summary does not appear to be about LINC (it references TETRA Technologies), so there is no clear stock-specific news catalyst in the dataset to validate the move.

Financial Performance

Latest quarter provided: 2025/Q3. Revenue grew strongly to $141.389M (+23.58% YoY), and gross margin improved to 59.49% (+2.57% YoY), indicating solid top-line momentum and better unit economics. However, profitability was slightly softer: net income $3.799M (-3.90% YoY) and EPS $0.12 (-7.69% YoY), implying reinvestment/growth costs or other expense pressures despite better margins. Overall: growth remains strong, but earnings leverage was not fully reflected in Q3.

Growth

Profitability

Efficiency

Analyst Ratings and Price Target Trends

Recent trend: clearly positive. Northland (2026-01-07) raised PT to $28 from $26, maintained Outperform, and labeled LINC a top pick for 2026 based on faster-than-expected scaling and organic growth opportunities. B. Riley (2026-01-27) raised PT to $33 from $27, reiterated Buy, highlighting confidence in disciplined campus expansion, >20% IRR greenfield campuses, and continued margin expansion into FY27. Wall Street pros: strong multi-year growth/margin runway and execution confidence. Wall Street cons (implied by the data): near-term results expected ‘in line’ (less surprise factor) and execution must continue to justify expansion assumptions.

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: 26.270

Low

Averages

High

Current: 26.270

Low

Averages

High

B. Riley

Griffin Boss

Buy

maintain

$27 -> $33

AI Analysis

2026-01-27

New

Reason

B. Riley

Griffin Boss

Price Target

$27 -> $33

AI Analysis

2026-01-27

New

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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LINC Should I Buy

LINC Should I Buy

Should You Buy Lincoln Educational Services Corp (LINC) Today? Analysis, Price Targets, and 2026 Outlook.

Technical Analysis

Options Data

Technical Summary

Positive Catalysts

Neutral/Negative Catalysts

Financial Performance

Growth

Profitability

Efficiency

Analyst Ratings and Price Target Trends

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