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Lincoln Educational Services Corp.: Q4 FY2025 earnings call

What management said about Q4 FY2025, from the documents filed with the SEC on 23 February 2026: press release. Guidance figures: 9 new. The quarter’s numbers.

Key takeaways

  • Quarterly revenue rose 19.7%: Fourth-quarter revenue was $142.9 million, up $23.5 million or 19.7%, or 21.4% excluding the Transitional segment. Tuition increases during the year also contributed. Source
  • Net income nearly doubled: Fourth-quarter net income was $12.7 million, or $0.40 diluted per share, against $6.8 million, or $0.22, a year earlier. Full-year net income was $20.0 million, up 102.2%. Source
  • Adjusted EBITDA rose 51.2%: Fourth-quarter adjusted EBITDA was $29.1 million, up $9.9 million. Full-year adjusted EBITDA was $67.1 million, up 58.7%, on the basis previously reported. Source
  • 2025 results exceeded guidance ranges: Full-year revenue was $518.2 million, up 17.8%. Results surpassed the guidance ranges for revenue, adjusted EBITDA and net income. Source
  • Starts rose for thirteenth quarter: Fourth-quarter student starts rose 15.7% excluding Transitional, the thirteenth consecutive quarter of start growth. New campus openings and program replications contributed. Source
  • Pre-opening costs no longer added back: From 2026, adjusted EBITDA stops adding back pre-opening costs and new campus losses. Prior-year adjusted EBITDA was $67.1 million, now restated to $57.1 million. Source

“There are three major drivers behind our exceptional finish to 2025 and our outlook for continued double-digit growth for revenue and adjusted EBITDA in 2026,”

Scott Shaw, President and Chief Executive Officer

Guidance

AreaPeriodFigureAgainst last quarter
Revenue SourceFull year 2026$580 - $590 millionNew
Revenue SourceFull year 2026approach $600 millionNew
Adjusted EBITDA SourceFull year 2026$72 - $76 millionNew
Net income SourceFull year 2026$20 - $23 millionNew
Diluted EPS SourceFull year 2026$0.64 - $0.74New
Capital expenditures SourceFull year 2026$70 - $75 millionNew
Student starts SourceFull year 20268% - 13% growthNew
Student population SourceStart of 2026over 17,000 studentsNew
Costs within adjusted EBITDA guidance SourceFull year 2026approximately $10.0 millionNew

What changed from last quarter

  • New guidance: Full-year 2026 guidance was established for revenue, adjusted EBITDA, net income, diluted EPS, capital expenditures and student starts. Source
  • New: Adjusted EBITDA methodology changed for 2026, and 2025 adjusted EBITDA was restated on the new basis. Source
  • New: A new corporate relationship with New Jersey Transit was initiated, and the existing relationship with Johnson Controls was expanded. Source
  • New: An electrical program was launched at the South Plainfield, New Jersey campus. Source

Fourth quarter and full-year results

  • Quarterly revenue rose 19.7%: Fourth-quarter revenue was $142.9 million, up $23.5 million or 19.7%, or 21.4% excluding the Transitional segment. Tuition increases during the year also contributed. Source
  • Net income nearly doubled: Fourth-quarter net income was $12.7 million, or $0.40 diluted per share, against $6.8 million, or $0.22, a year earlier. Full-year net income was $20.0 million, up 102.2%. Source
  • Adjusted EBITDA rose 51.2%: Fourth-quarter adjusted EBITDA was $29.1 million, up $9.9 million. Full-year adjusted EBITDA was $67.1 million, up 58.7%, on the basis previously reported. Source
  • 2025 results exceeded guidance ranges: Full-year revenue was $518.2 million, up 17.8%. Results surpassed the guidance ranges for revenue, adjusted EBITDA and net income. Source
  • Operating cash flow more than doubled: Fourth-quarter net cash from operations was $43.5 million, against $30.3 million. Full-year operating cash flow was $59.3 million, up $30.0 million or 102.4%. Source

Campus Operations and Transitional segments

  • Transitional segment wound down: No campuses were classified in the Transitional segment during 2025, after the Summerlin, Las Vegas sale closed on January 1, 2025. Source
  • Campus operating income rose 36.2%: Campus Operations operating income was $34.5 million in the fourth quarter, up 36.2%. Full-year Campus Operations operating income was $98.7 million, up 55.3%. Source
  • Campus adjusted EBITDA rose 42.4%: Campus Operations adjusted EBITDA was $43.8 million for the quarter, up 42.4% from $30.7 million a year earlier. Source

“We now believe we can approach the $600 million revenue level for the full year”

Scott Shaw, President and Chief Executive Officer

Programs and high school enrollment

  • Skilled trades starts grew fastest: Transportation and Skilled Trades starts rose 23.4% for the full year to 16,526. Healthcare and Other Professions starts fell 7.9% to 4,380. Source
  • Healthcare population declined: Healthcare and Other Professions end-of-period population was 3,434, down 8.6%. Transportation and Skilled Trades population was 13,612, up 22.8%. Source
  • High school share programs expanding: Investment in high school initiatives grew. High school juniors and seniors take career and technical courses, including automotive, through share programs with certain high schools. Source

Enrollment, starts and demand

  • Starts rose for thirteenth quarter: Fourth-quarter student starts rose 15.7% excluding Transitional, the thirteenth consecutive quarter of start growth. New campus openings and program replications contributed. Source
  • Enrollment reached 17,046 students: End-of-period Campus Operations population was 17,046, up 14.9%. Average population rose 17.0% in the fourth quarter. Source
  • Unearned tuition increased: Unearned tuition was $44.2 million at December 31, 2025, compared with $30.6 million a year earlier. Source
  • Employer demand cited as driver: Management cited continuing high employer demand and recent public policy actions promoting skilled trades training as drivers of interest in the programs. Source

“student starts for our programs that have been operating for more than one year grew by 4% on a same campus same program basis.”

Scott Shaw, President and Chief Executive Officer

Costs and corporate spending

  • Instruction and facilities costs rose: Educational services and facilities expense was $53.9 million, up 19.5%, on costs for a larger student population and higher depreciation from growth initiatives. Source
  • Administrative spending rose 14.6%: Selling, general and administrative expense was $71.2 million, up 14.6%, on administrative costs of the larger population, compensation, and marketing for new programs. Source
  • Corporate costs rose with workforce: Corporate and other expenses were $16.7 million, against $13.8 million, mainly from salaries and benefits tied to workforce expansion for the larger population. Source
  • New campus costs in fourth quarter: New campus and relocation costs were $2.3 million in the fourth quarter, against $2.0 million a year earlier. Full-year new campus costs were $8.1 million. Source

Margins, operating leverage and reporting method

  • Operating leverage expected to expand: Management said the company can expand operating leverage as revenue approaches $600 million, while enhancing the student experience. Source
  • Pre-opening costs no longer added back: From 2026, adjusted EBITDA stops adding back pre-opening costs and new campus losses. Prior-year adjusted EBITDA was $67.1 million, now restated to $57.1 million. Source
  • Pension and one-time items added back: Pension adjustment and other one-time costs of $1.4 million were added back to fourth-quarter adjusted EBITDA. Source

Cash, liquidity and capital spending

  • 2025 capital spending was $86.6 million: Capital expenditures in the cash flow statement were $86.6 million for 2025, against $56.9 million in 2024. Proceeds from property sales were $0.4 million. Source
  • Cash on hand fell: Cash and equivalents were $28.5 million at December 31, 2025, down from $59.3 million a year earlier. Source
  • Total liquidity of $88.5 million: Total liquidity was $88.5 million: $28.5 million of cash plus $60.0 million on the credit facility. No revolver debt was outstanding at year-end. Source
  • Revolver drawn and repaid in 2025: The company borrowed $45.0 million and repaid $45.0 million under its credit facility during 2025. Source
  • Share settlement used cash: Net share settlement for equity-based compensation used $3.8 million of cash in 2025. Source

Campus expansion and investor day

  • Relocations and Houston meeting expectations: Management said relocations at Nashville and Levittown, program expansions and the new Houston campus are meeting or exceeding its expectations. Source
  • Other under-served markets under review: Management said it continues to evaluate expansion into other under-served U.S. markets as it builds on core operations growth. Source
  • 2027 objectives set in third quarter: The third-quarter release set 2027 objectives of more than $600 million revenue and $90 million adjusted EBITDA. This release does not restate them.

Coming up, as management said on 23 February 2026

  • Investor Day on March 19, 2026: Investor Day at the Nashville campus runs 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Central Time, with a five-year roadmap through 2030 to be presented. Source
  • Hicksville campus enrollment begins: The new Hicksville, New York campus is scheduled to begin enrollment in the fourth quarter of 2026. Source
  • Rowlett campus enrollment in 2027: The new Rowlett, Texas campus is scheduled to begin enrollment in the first quarter of 2027. Source
  • Future updates to 2026 reconciliations: Revisions to the 2026 guidance reconciliations, if any, will be disclosed in future announcements of 2026 quarterly results. Source

Figures management reported

FigureReported
Student starts, Campus Operations, fourth quarter Source3,930, up 15.7%
Student starts, Campus Operations, full year 2025 Source20,906, up 15.2%
End-of-period student population, Campus Operations Source17,046, up 14.9%
Average student population, Campus Operations, fourth quarter Source18,243, up 17.0%
Campuses Source22 campuses in 12 states

Earlier plans management reported on

  • Ahead: Management said the company exceeded the 2025 financial guidance it had raised during the year. Source
  • On track: Management said the Hicksville and Rowlett campuses remain on schedule against the earlier plan. Source
  • On track: Management said relocations, program expansions and the Houston campus are meeting or exceeding its expectations. Source

Other quarters

Summarised with AI from the documents the company filed with the SEC. Every point is checked against the filing before it is shown: management’s own words word for word, figures against the line or table row they come from. A point that fails the check is left out. Source opens the filing at that line.