Lincoln National Corporation (NYSE:LNC) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Hold” from Brokerages

Lincoln National Corporation (NYSE:LNC) has been given an average rating of “Hold” by the fifteen research firms that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1-year price target among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $46.25.

Several analysts have recently commented on LNC shares. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on Lincoln National from $50.00 to $46.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday. Wells Fargo & Company raised Lincoln National from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their price target for the company from $41.00 to $48.00 in a research report on Wednesday, February 25th. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Lincoln National from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, December 4th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Lincoln National in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on shares of Lincoln National from $52.00 to $59.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, December 15th.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Lincoln National news, major shareholder National Life Insuranc Lincoln purchased 2,254,486 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 25th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $11.09 per share, for a total transaction of $25,002,249.74. Following the completion of the acquisition, the insider owned 9,784,322 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $108,508,130.98. The trade was a 29.94% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP John Christopher Kennedy sold 3,519 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $44.15, for a total value of $155,363.85. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 118,985 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,253,187.75. This trade represents a 2.87% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 16,569 shares of company stock valued at $627,484. Insiders own 0.54% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Lincoln National

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Bain Capital Prairie LLC purchased a new stake in Lincoln National in the 4th quarter worth approximately $835,360,000. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Lincoln National during the second quarter valued at $87,362,000. Jennison Associates LLC grew its position in Lincoln National by 58.7% during the fourth quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 3,681,158 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $163,922,000 after buying an additional 1,361,835 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in Lincoln National by 6.3% in the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 19,903,720 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $802,717,000 after acquiring an additional 1,183,934 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its stake in Lincoln National by 25.3% in the 3rd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 5,730,727 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $231,121,000 after acquiring an additional 1,157,599 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 72.81% of the company’s stock.

Lincoln National Stock Performance

Shares of LNC stock opened at $34.02 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.27, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $41.16 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $41.30. Lincoln National has a 12 month low of $27.58 and a 12 month high of $46.82. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.47 billion, a PE ratio of 6.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.54 and a beta of 1.30.

Lincoln National (NYSE:LNC) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 12th. The financial services provider reported $2.21 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.86 by $0.35. Lincoln National had a net margin of 6.46% and a return on equity of 18.52%. The firm had revenue of $4.89 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.85 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.91 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was down 2.8% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts forecast that Lincoln National will post 7.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lincoln National Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 10th will be paid a $0.45 dividend. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.3%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 10th. Lincoln National’s payout ratio is presently 33.90%.

About Lincoln National

Lincoln National Corporation, doing business as Lincoln Financial Group, is a diversified financial services holding company focused on providing retirement, insurance, and wealth management solutions in the United States and select international markets. Headquartered in Radnor, Pennsylvania, the company operates through several business segments, including Retirement Plan Services, Life Insurance, and Group Protection. Its offerings are designed to help individuals, families, and institutions plan and prepare for their financial futures.

The Retirement Plan Services segment delivers recordkeeping, administrative services, and investment management for defined contribution and defined benefit plans.