LINC Lincoln Educational Services Corporation
$54.24
Stable Earnings Power 80%
P/Adj-EPS × Normalized Multiple
Strong · Conviction

Overvalued

Trading 131.5% above fair value

You pay $54.24
Bear $19.29
Fair $23.43
Bull $27.56
Bear $19.29 -64.4% $0.65 × 17x P/E
Fair $23.43 -56.8% $0.65 × 20x P/E
Bull $27.56 -49.2% $0.65 × 24x P/E

Key Value Driver

Normalized P/E multiple (20x base case)

Implied Market Multiple 83.4x

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 $53.80 from 15 analysts, using a 25% weight on analyst consensus. That produces an estimated intrinsic value of $23.43 per share.

Warnings

Wall Street's average price target is $53.80 (from 15 analysts). Our estimate is 75% 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