Don't Ignore The Insider Selling In Lincoln Educational Services

We'd be surprised if Lincoln Educational Services Corporation (NASDAQ:LINC) shareholders haven't noticed that the Independent Director, James Burke, recently sold US$321k worth of stock at US$21.41 per share. The eyebrow raising move amounted to a reduction of 15% in their holding.

We've discovered 3 warning signs about Lincoln Educational Services. View them for free.

The Last 12 Months Of Insider Transactions At Lincoln Educational Services

Over the last year, we can see that the biggest insider sale was by the Executive VP, Brian Meyers, for US$909k worth of shares, at about US$15.32 per share. So it's clear an insider wanted to take some cash off the table, even below the current price of US$21.69. When an insider sells below the current price, it suggests that they considered that lower price to be fair. That makes us wonder what they think of the (higher) recent valuation. While insider selling is not a positive sign, we can't be sure if it does mean insiders think the shares are fully valued, so it's only a weak sign. We note that the biggest single sale was only 26% of Brian Meyers's holding.

Insiders in Lincoln Educational Services didn't buy any shares in the last year. You can see a visual depiction of insider transactions (by companies and individuals) over the last 12 months, below. If you click on the chart, you can see all the individual transactions, including the share price, individual, and the date!

See our latest analysis for Lincoln Educational Services

I will like Lincoln Educational Services better if I see some big insider buys. While we wait, check out this free list of undervalued and small cap stocks with considerable, recent, insider buying.

Insider Ownership Of Lincoln Educational Services

Looking at the total insider shareholdings in a company can help to inform your view of whether they are well aligned with common shareholders. A high insider ownership often makes company leadership more mindful of shareholder interests. It appears that Lincoln Educational Services insiders own 7.0% of the company, worth about US$48m. While this is a strong but not outstanding level of insider ownership, it's enough to indicate some alignment between management and smaller shareholders.

What Might The Insider Transactions At Lincoln Educational Services Tell Us?

An insider hasn't bought Lincoln Educational Services stock in the last three months, but there was some selling. And there weren't any purchases to give us comfort, over the last year. Insider ownership isn't particularly high, so this analysis makes us cautious about the company. So we'd only buy after careful consideration. So while it's helpful to know what insiders are doing in terms of buying or selling, it's also helpful to know the risks that a particular company is facing. At Simply Wall St, we've found that Lincoln Educational Services has 3 warning signs (1 doesn't sit too well with us!) that deserve your attention before going any further with your analysis.

Of course Lincoln Educational Services may not be the best stock to buy. So you may wish to see this free collection of high quality companies.

For the purposes of this article, insiders are those individuals who report their transactions to the relevant regulatory body. We currently account for open market transactions and private dispositions of direct interests only, but not derivative transactions or indirect interests.

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This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.