LINC Lincoln Educational Services Corporation
$48.40
Stable Earnings Power 80%
P/Adj-EPS × Normalized Multiple
Strong · Conviction

Overvalued

Trading 121.3% above fair value

You pay $48.40
Bear $18.01
Fair $21.88
Bull $25.74
Bear $18.01 -62.8% $0.65 × 17x P/E
Fair $21.88 -54.8% $0.65 × 20x P/E
Bull $25.74 -46.8% $0.65 × 24x P/E

Key Value Driver

Normalized P/E multiple (20x base case)

Implied Market Multiple 74.5x

Summary

Our base-case estimate uses a valuation based on adjusted earnings per share and a normalized price-to-earnings multiple. We then blend that result with the average analyst price target of $47.60 from 15 analysts, using a 25% weight on analyst consensus. That produces an estimated intrinsic value of $21.88 per share.

Warnings

Wall Street's average price target is $47.60 (from 15 analysts). Our estimate is 72% below the consensus -- consider that gap carefully.

Key Risks

  • Growth DCF inappropriate — terminal value assumptions dominate
  • EV/EBITDA misleading for regulated businesses where capex is mandated
  • Regulatory risk is a fat tail not visible in normal multiples