Ace Stephen E 4

What Happened

• Stephen E. Ace, SVP and Chief Human Resources of Lincoln Educational Services Corp (LINC), was granted 4,821 shares of restricted common stock on 2026-02-19. The reported acquisition price is $0.00 (award/grant), so no cash was paid by the insider. This is an equity award (not an open‑market purchase or sale).

Key Details

• Transaction date: 2026-02-19; Form 4 filed: 2026-02-20 (timely filing).
• Grant size: 4,821 restricted shares; reported price: $0.00; total reported cost to insider: $0.
• Plan: Lincoln Educational Services Corporation 2020 Long-Term Incentive Plan.
• Vesting structure (per filing footnote):
  • 50% subject to time‑based vesting: vest in substantially equal annual tranches over 3 years beginning March 1, 2027.
  • 50% subject to performance‑based vesting: vests (if at all) based on achievement of company metrics, in annual tranches over 3 years; performance portion may result in up to 200% of the performance‑based shares if targets are exceeded.
• Shares owned after the transaction: not specified in the summary provided (see the filing for post‑transaction holdings).
• No 10b5‑1 plan, tax withholding, or sale reported in this transaction (award only).

Context

• This is a standard long‑term incentive award intended for retention and performance alignment. Because the shares are restricted and vest over time and/or contingent on performance, they are not an immediate sale or purchase signal. Retail investors should view this as compensation-related equity awarded to management rather than a direct market purchase.