Lincoln Educational Services's Competitiveness
A competitive positioning analysis and financial ratio benchmarking of Lincoln Educational Services (LINC) against its publicly traded competitors: sales growth, net income, profitability, valuation and market share, plus each peer's market capitalization, revenue, income and employees. Free below: the top 5 peers. Subscriber access adds the full competitor list and CSV downloads.
Key Findings: Lincoln Educational Services vs Its Competitors
- TTM: Trailing 12-month revenue of 571M vs 5,433M combined for tracked competitors (9.5% combined share).
- Trending: Latest-quarter revenue run-rate is holding steady (-0.1% annualized vs trailing 12 months), vs decelerating (-3.2%) for its tracked peer group.
- Growth: Lincoln Educational Services generated 22.4% revenue growth year over year in Q2 2026, vs 5.4% for its tracked competitors combined.
- Profitability: Its 1.4% net margin compares with 14.3% for the peer group.
- Scale: Lincoln Educational Services ranks #16 of 45 companies by market capitalization in the Educational Services industry, holding 1.6% of industry market cap.
- Peer revenue share: Lincoln Educational Services accounted for 9.8% of combined revenue among its tracked peer group, up from 8.5% a year earlier.
- Peer differentiation: Revenue per employee of $0.48M compares with $0.48M for the peer group (1.0x).
Every figure above is sourced and cited in detail further down this page (Market Structure, Profitability & Cost Structure, Productivity vs Peers).
LINC Sales vs. its Competitors, Q2 2026
Lincoln Educational Services reported revenue growth of 22.40 % year on year in Q2 2026, above its competitors' combined revenue growth of 5.36 %.
With a net margin of 1.37 %, Lincoln Educational Services reported lower profitability than its competitors (14.25 %).
Lincoln Educational Services generated 9.79 % of the combined sales of its peer group, up from 8.54 % a year earlier.
Lincoln Educational Services vs. its Competitors, Q2 2026
Revenue growth, year on year
Net income growth, year on year
Net margin
Revenue run-rate vs trailing 12 months
TTM net margin
TTM = trailing twelve months. Run-rate annualizes the latest quarter (×4) and compares it to TTM. In millions of $. High-Confidence Competitors are named as a competitor directly in an SEC filing; Similar-Size Competitors are the closest peers by market-cap rank within the same industry; Similar Growth & Profitability Competitors are the closest peers by combined revenue growth, operating margin and ROIC, all independent of the competitor list.
TTM revenue, latest-quarter run-rate and net income/margin benchmarked across Lincoln Educational Services and its 4 competitor groupings. Available under Commercial License.
| Entity | TTM Revenue | Rev Run-rate vs TTM |
|---|---|---|
| Lincoln Educational Services Corporation | $12,345M | +12.3% · Accelerating |
| Competitors combined | $12,345M | +12.3% · Accelerating |
| High-Confidence Competitors (1) | $12,345M | +12.3% · Accelerating |
| Similar-Size Competitors (5) | $12,345M | +12.3% · Accelerating |
| Similar Growth & Profitability (5) | $12,345M | +12.3% · Accelerating |
TTM revenue, run-rate and net margin benchmarking across Lincoln Educational Services's competitor groups requires a Commercial License.
For context: the Educational Services industry grew revenue 4.5% year over year, combined, vs 22.4% for Lincoln Educational Services. Lincoln Educational Services's share of combined industry revenue moved from 0.89% to 1.04%, a gain of 0.15 percentage points.
Lincoln Educational Services's Competitor Quality Breadth
Share of each group, trailing 12 months: profitable (net margin > 0), expanding (revenue growth > 0), growing faster than the industry's own median, and financially distressed (Piotroski F-Score of 2 or below).
| Entity | Profitable | Expanding | Above Industry Growth | Distressed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lincoln Educational Services Corporation | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Competitors combined (6) | ||||
| High-Confidence Competitors (1) | ||||
| Similar-Size Competitors (9) | ||||
| Similar Growth & Profitability (8) | 100.00 % (8 of 8) | 100.00 % (8 of 8) | 100.00 % (8 of 8) | 0.00 % (0 of 7) |
Source: CSIMarket API, trailing 12 months. Altman Z-Score is not shown here: it is not populated in the underlying data for any company. Percentages are of companies in each group that report the relevant metric, not of the full group size.
LINC Stock Performance relative to its Competitors
LINC Stock Performance relative to High-Confidence Competitors
LINC Stock Performance relative to Similar-Size Competitors
LINC Stock Performance relative to Similar Growth & Profitability Competitors
5 Best-Performing Tracked Competitors, Trailing 12 Months
| # | Competitor | TTM Share Price Return | vs U.S.A. 500 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nerdy Inc | 282.9% | Outperformed |
| 2 | Ceco Environmental Corp | 282.9% | Outperformed |
| 3 | Strategic Education Inc | 282.9% | Outperformed |
| 4 | Invesco Mortgage Capital Inc | 282.9% | Outperformed |
| 5 | Covista inc | 282.9% | Outperformed |
TTM share price return and U.S.A. 500 outperformance for Lincoln Educational Services's best-performing tracked competitors requires a Commercial License.
Source: CSIMarket API, trailing 12 months.
Publicly Traded Peers of Lincoln Educational Services Corporation
Revenue and income for trailing 12 months, in millions of $, except employees| Company | Market Cap | Revenues |
|---|---|---|
| Lincoln Educational Services Corporation | 682.42 | 570.78 |
| Ceco Environmental Corp | 4,594.87 | 832.23 |
| Covista inc | 4,196.87 | 1,954.09 |
| Strategic Education Inc | 1,649.98 | 1,286.35 |
| Nerdy Inc | 1,072.98 | 178.83 |
| Universal Technical Institute Inc | 1,033.12 | 883.60 |
| SUBTOTAL | 13,823.39 | 6,003.83 |
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Sources: Lincoln Educational Services Corporation's official press releases and regulatory filings; CSIMarket.com's market research; and the financial filings and press releases of the other companies cited.
Updated on:
Focus of this report: publicly traded companies. Ten additional tables on Lincoln Educational Services Corporation versus competitors, including market share analysis, are in the navigation menu under Competition. To download the tables, please subscribe.
Lincoln Educational Services's Competitors Named by the Company
Competitive relationships identified from SEC filings and corroborating sources, each with a basis and confidence.| Competitor | Basis | Confidence |
|---|---|---|
| Universal Technical Institute Inc | Named by the company | 85% |
Filing basis, confidence, active dates and source counts for Lincoln Educational Services's named competitors require a Commercial License.
Methodology: relationships are extracted from SEC filings (named-competitor disclosures) and corroborating sources. Named by the company = explicitly disclosed as a competitor; Inferred = derived from corroborating signals. Confidence reflects evidence strength.
Lincoln Educational Services's Business Segment Mix vs Peers
Revenue by operating segment or division, as named and reported by each company. Segment names are the filer's own and are not standardized across companies. Do not assume a same-named or similarly-named segment is defined identically between two companies. Shares are of each company's own total revenue and are not required to sum to 100% (intersegment revenue, unallocated items).| Company | Largest Segment |
|---|---|
| Lincoln Educational Services Corporation | Campus Operations 100.00 % |
| Ceco Environmental Corp | Engineered Systems 69.40 % |
| Covista inc | Chamberlain University Segment 40.44 % |
| Strategic Education Inc | U.S. Higher Education 65.39 % |
| Universal Technical Institute Inc | UTI 64.46 % |
Source: operating segment revenue as reported in each company's SEC filings (10-K/10-Q), via the CSIMarket API, leaf-level reportable segments only (parent roll-up segments are excluded where sub-segments are separately disclosed).
Lincoln Educational Services's Productivity vs Peers Comparison
Revenue and income per employee, trailing 12 months, in $; market cap in millions of $| Company | Market Cap | Revenue / Employee | Income / Employee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lincoln Educational Services Corporation | 682 | 475,648 | 19,002 |
| Ceco Environmental Corp | 4,595 | 1,188,900 | 77,546 |
| Covista inc | 4,197 | - | - |
| Strategic Education Inc | 1,650 | 209,708 | 21,928 |
| Nerdy Inc | 1,073 | 357,664 | -91,560 |
| Universal Technical Institute Inc | 1,033 | 215,511 | 8,365 |
| PEERS TOTAL | 13,141 | 475,166 | 48,004 |
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Lincoln Educational Services's Geographic Revenue Exposure vs Peers
Revenue by country/region as reported in each company's most recent filing. Disclosure granularity varies by filer (some report by country, others by broad region) and is shown as disclosed.| Company | Largest Market |
|---|---|
| Ceco Environmental Corp | US 64.94 % |
| Covista inc | Domestic Operations 78.75 % |
Source: revenue geography as reported in each company's SEC filings (10-K/10-Q), via the CSIMarket API. Percentages are of that company's own total consolidated revenue for its most recent reported period.
Lincoln Educational Services's Position in Industry Market Structure
Market-capitalization share and concentration across all 41 companies in Lincoln Educational Services's industry classification, broader than the peer set above. Market cap in millions of $.Lincoln Educational Services ranks #16 of 41 companies by market capitalization in its industry, holding 1.65 % of total industry market cap. The industry's Herfindahl-Hirschman Index (HHI) is 777, indicating a unconcentrated market structure (U.S. antitrust guidance: below 1,500 unconcentrated, 1,500 to 2,500 moderately concentrated, above 2,500 highly concentrated).
| Rank | Company | Market Cap | Industry Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Laureate Education Inc | 5,193 | 12.72 % |
| 2 | Graham Holdings Co | 4,957 | 12.14 % |
| 3 | Covista inc | 4,213 | 10.32 % |
| 4 | Grand Canyon Education inc | 3,816 | 9.35 % |
| 5 | Stride Inc | 1,234 | 5.2% |
| 6 | Lixiang Education Holding Co Ltd | 1,234 | 5.2% |
| 7 | Tal Education Group | 1,234 | 5.2% |
| 8 | Perdoceo Education Corp | 1,234 | 5.2% |
| 9 | 17 Education and Technology Group Inc | 1,234 | 5.2% |
| 10 | Youdao Inc | 1,234 | 5.2% |
| 16 | Lincoln Educational Services Corporation | 673 | 1.65 % |
Market cap and industry share for the rest of Lincoln Educational Services's industry peers requires a Commercial License.
Source: CSIMarket API (daily market-structure computation) across CSIMarket's industry classification, market capitalization as of 2026-09-28.
Lincoln Educational Services's Same-Size Peers & Stock Performance
Peers chosen by closeness in market-cap rank within the same industry classification (not the named-competitor list above). Trailing 12-month total return, 3-month price momentum, beta and Sharpe ratio vs the broad U.S. market.| Rank | Company | Market Cap | TTM Return |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | Strategic Education Inc | 1,650 | -9.53 % |
| 12 | Universal Technical Institute Inc | 1,118 | -34.92 % |
| 13 | Nerdy Inc | 1,094 | 555.68 % |
| 14 | Phoenix Education Partners Inc | 984 | - |
| 15 | American Public Education Inc | 1,234 | 12.3% |
| 16 | Lincoln Educational Services Corporation | 673 | -4.59 % |
| 17 | Gaotu Techedu Inc | 1,234 | 12.3% |
| 18 | Ihuman Inc | 1,234 | 12.3% |
| 19 | 51talk Online Education Group | 1,234 | 12.3% |
| 20 | Four Seasons Education cayman Inc | 1,234 | 12.3% |
| 21 | Afya Limited | 1,234 | 12.3% |
Market cap, return, momentum, beta and Sharpe ratio for the rest of Lincoln Educational Services's same-size peers requires a Commercial License.
Source: CSIMarket API (daily market-structure computation); returns and risk metrics as of 2026-09-28. Beta and Sharpe ratio are versus the broad U.S. equity market, not this industry.
Lincoln Educational Services's Profitability & Cost Structure
Trailing 12-month margins from SEC-filed financials. Operating margin is compared to the Educational Services industry median; gross margin, EBITDA margin and capital intensity are compared to the live industry average (44 companies).| Metric | Company | Industry | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross Margin | - | 49.04 % (avg) | - |
| Operating Margin | 5.91 % | industry median | +0.0 pp |
| EBITDA Margin | 10.01 % | -0.18 % (avg) | +10.2 pp |
| Capital Intensity (Capex / Revenue) | 12.17 % | 1.94 % (avg) | +10.2 pp |
Source: CSIMarket API, trailing 12 months. SG&A and R&D as a share of revenue have limited coverage as this data is backfilled and appear only where reported. Higher capital intensity is not inherently negative; it reflects the industry's asset requirements.
Lincoln Educational Services's Valuation vs Competitive Position
Valuation multiples vs the Educational Services industry average (44 companies, excluding loss-making/negative-equity outliers), alongside returns on capital for context on whether a premium or discount lines up with measurably stronger or weaker returns.| Metric | Company | Industry Average | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| P/E | 64.9x | 14.6x | +50.2x |
| EV / EBITDA | 25.7x | 12.4x | +13.3x |
| P/B | 7.6x | 3.0x | +4.5x |
| Return on Equity | 11.59 % | industry aggregate | -5.08 % |
| Return on Invested Capital | 5.58 % | -0.82 % (avg) | 6.40 % |
Source: CSIMarket API, trailing 12 months. A valuation premium or discount is not, by itself, a judgment of over- or under-valuation. Compare it against the return and growth context shown elsewhere on this page.
Lincoln Educational Services's Multi-Year Financial Trajectory
Fiscal-year revenue growth, operating margin, return on invested capital and P/E, as reported in SEC filings.| Metric | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue Growth | 32.98 % | 0.51 % | 3.85 % | 7.23 % | 14.41 % | 3.86 % | 16.40 % | 17.77 % |
| Operating Margin | -1.80 % | -1.50 % | 1.92 % | 5.04 % | 14.69 % | 4.67 % | 4.32 % | 5.85 % |
| Return on Invested Capital | -3.85 % | -3.62 % | 5.12 % | 10.31 % | 20.46 % | 4.48 % | 5.61 % | 5.17 % |
| P/E | - | - | 25.2x | 3.3x | 5.8x | - | 49.0x | 35.9x |
Source: CSIMarket API, fiscal-year figures. P/E is this company's own historical ratio at each fiscal year end and can swing sharply around an earnings trough: that is real, not a data error.
Lincoln Educational Services's Strategic Group Map
Every company in Lincoln Educational Services's industry and named-competitor list, plotted by trailing 12-month revenue growth and operating margin. Lincoln Educational Services is shown in red; its closest peers by combined growth, margin and ROIC (the Similar Growth & Profitability group above) are labeled.
Source: CSIMarket API, trailing 12 months. Extreme outlier values (from near-zero-revenue companies) are excluded from the plotted cloud but never from the highlighted company or its labeled peers.
Lincoln Educational Services's BCG Growth-Share Matrix
Relative market share (vs Lincoln Educational Services's largest competitor by market cap) against industry revenue growth, using the standard textbook thresholds (1.0x share, 10% growth) a common framework, not a precision instrument.
Lincoln Educational Services falls in the Dog quadrant: relative market share of 0.13x vs its largest competitor, in an industry growing revenue 3.5% (median, trailing 12 months).
Source: CSIMarket API (market-cap share and industry revenue growth). The 10% growth and 1.0x share lines are standard textbook thresholds, not derived from this industry's own distribution.
Lincoln Educational Services's Competitive Forces (Porter's Five Forces)
Only the forces this data can support honestly are shown; the other three are marked as such rather than guessed.| Force | Assessment | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Competitive Rivalry | High | Industry HHI of 777 (see Industry Market Structure & Concentration above) |
| Barriers to Entry | High (capital intensive) | Capital intensity (capex / revenue) of 12.17 % vs industry average 1.94 % (see Profitability & Cost Structure above) |
| Supplier Power | Not covered on this page | See Lincoln Educational Services's dedicated suppliers page for concentration and dependency data |
| Buyer Power | Not covered on this page | See Lincoln Educational Services's dedicated customers page for concentration and dependency data |
| Threat of Substitutes | - | No systematic data source for cross-product substitution exists in this system; not estimated |
Note: this is a partial, data-grounded application of the framework, not a complete strategic assessment. Rivalry and barriers-to-entry readings are mechanical translations of the HHI and capital-intensity figures shown elsewhere on this page, not independent judgments.
Lincoln Educational Services's Industry Attractiveness & Competitive Strength
A CSIMarket composite, not a standard field: each axis is an equal-weighted average of three factors already shown elsewhere on this page (industry growth, industry profitability and rivalry for attractiveness; relative market share, profitability and growth vs industry for strength). Disclosed as a designed methodology, not a precision measurement.
Lincoln Educational Services falls in the Low attractiveness / Medium strength cell: Harvest.
Source: CSIMarket API, trailing 12 months. Each axis score is a simple 1(low)/2(medium)/3(high) average across its three inputs -- a transparent, disclosed simplification, not a validated academic scoring model.
Lincoln Educational Services's SWOT
Every point below is a fixed rule applied to a metric already shown elsewhere on this page (Market Structure, Profitability, Valuation, Run-Rate, Stock Performance, Quality Breadth) not an independent strategic assessment. A blank quadrant means no rule was met, not that none apply.Strengths
No rule matched.
Weaknesses
- Return on equity 5.1 points below the industry aggregate.
- Underperforming the U.S.A. 500 over the trailing 12 months.
- Low relative market share vs the industry leader (0.13x).
Opportunities
No rule matched.
Threats
- Tracked peer group's revenue run-rate is broadly decelerating (-3.2% annualized).
- High capital intensity requires continuous reinvestment just to keep pace with the industry.
Methodology: mechanical, rule-based SWOT. Each bullet reuses a figure already sourced and cited elsewhere on this page; nothing here is generated narrative or independent analyst judgment.
Lincoln Educational Services's Financial Strength vs Peers Comparison
Quick ratio, working capital, debt to equity and asset turnover, trailing 12 months| Company | Quick Ratio | Working Capital | Debt / Equity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lincoln Educational Services Corporation | 0.26 | 0.87 | 0.05 |
| Ceco Environmental Corp | 0.23 | 1.82 | 0.35 |
| Covista inc | 0.45 | 0.90 | 0.40 |
| Strategic Education Inc | 0.56 | 1.18 | - |
| Nerdy Inc | 1.70 | 2.11 | 0.48 |
| Universal Technical Institute Inc | 0.55 | 1.15 | 0.35 |
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Quick ratio = cash / current liabilities; working capital ratio = current assets / current liabilities; asset turnover = revenue / total assets. Peers in the Blank Checks industry are excluded.
Lincoln Educational Services's Revenue and Income Growth vs Peers
Quarterly revenue and net income growth, year over year and quarter over quarter| Company | Period | Revenue Y/Y | Income Y/Y |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lincoln Educational Services Corporation | Q2 2026 | +22.4 % | +25.2 % |
| Ceco Environmental Corp | Q2 2026 | +15.3 % | +374.7 % |
| Covista inc | Q2 2026 | +9.7 % | +32.3 % |
| Strategic Education Inc | Q2 2026 | +4.9 % | +14.9 % |
| Nerdy Inc | Q2 2026 | -3.6 % | - |
| Universal Technical Institute Inc | Q2 2026 | +7.2 % | -78.6 % |
| PEERS TOTAL | +6.8 % | +157.1 % |
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Growth is shown only where both periods are positive. Peers in the Blank Checks industry are excluded.
Lincoln Educational Services's Peers' Costs of Sales and Capital Expenditures
Context for revenue growth: peer costs and capex, year over year and quarter over quarter| Company | Period | Costs Y/Y | Capex Y/Y |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lincoln Educational Services Corporation | Q2 2026 | +27.4 % | -45.0 % |
| Ceco Environmental Corp | Q2 2026 | - | -33.4 % |
| Covista inc | Q2 2026 | +9.1 % | +41.2 % |
| Strategic Education Inc | Q2 2026 | - | +30.5 % |
| Nerdy Inc | Q2 2026 | -10.3 % | +32.3 % |
| Universal Technical Institute Inc | Q2 2026 | - | +180.9 % |
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Lincoln Educational Services's Returns and Turnover vs Peers
ROA, ROI and ROE (trailing 12 months), receivables and inventory turnover| Company | ROA | ROI | ROE |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lincoln Educational Services Corporation | 4.61% | 5.59% | 11.59% |
| Ceco Environmental Corp | 5.24% | 6.39% | 10.93% |
| Covista inc | 8.85% | 9.88% | 17.65% |
| Strategic Education Inc | 6.48% | 7.40% | 8.19% |
| Nerdy Inc | - | - | - |
| Universal Technical Institute Inc | 4.03% | 4.27% | 10.23% |
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ROA = net income / total assets; ROI = net income / investments; ROE = net income / equity; turnover ratios use trailing 12 month revenue (receivables) and cost of sales (inventory).
Lincoln Educational Services's Valuation vs Peers
P/E, price to sales, PEG, price to cash flow and price to book| Company | P/E | Price / Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Lincoln Educational Services Corporation | 29.75 | 1.20 |
| Ceco Environmental Corp | 84.02 | 5.52 |
| Covista inc | 16.81 | 2.15 |
| Strategic Education Inc | 12.74 | 1.28 |
| Nerdy Inc | - | 6.00 |
| Universal Technical Institute Inc | 29.79 | 1.17 |
| PEERS AVERAGE | 24.18 | 2.30 |
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P/E = price / diluted EPS (trailing 12 months); PEG = P/E divided by EPS growth; the average row divides the peers' combined market cap by their combined income, sales, cash flow and equity.