Lincoln National Corporation (NYSE:LNC) Receives Average Rating of “Hold” from Brokerages

Shares of Lincoln National Corporation (NYSE:LNC) have been assigned an average recommendation of “Hold” from the fifteen analysts that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, seven have given a hold recommendation and six have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month price target among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $45.3846.

LNC has been the topic of a number of research reports. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Lincoln National in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on Lincoln National from $50.00 to $46.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, March 3rd. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on Lincoln National from $52.00 to $59.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, December 15th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reaffirmed a “moderate buy” rating and issued a $43.00 price objective on shares of Lincoln National in a research note on Thursday. Finally, TD Cowen dropped their price objective on shares of Lincoln National from $43.00 to $38.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Monday, March 9th.

Lincoln National Stock Performance

Shares of Lincoln National stock opened at $34.20 on Friday. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $37.57 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $40.31. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.50 billion, a P/E ratio of 6.44, a P/E/G ratio of 1.53 and a beta of 1.30. Lincoln National has a fifty-two week low of $27.58 and a fifty-two week high of $46.82. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59, a current ratio of 0.27 and a quick ratio of 0.27.

Lincoln National (NYSE:LNC) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The financial services provider reported $2.21 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.86 by $0.35. Lincoln National had a net margin of 6.46% and a return on equity of 18.52%. The company had revenue of $4.89 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.85 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.91 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 2.8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts forecast that Lincoln National will post 7.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lincoln National Announces Dividend

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

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP James Waltman Reid sold 3,050 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $41.81, for a total transaction of $127,520.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 118,567 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,957,286.27. This trade represents a 2.51% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, major shareholder National Life Insuranc Lincoln purchased 2,254,486 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 25th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $11.09 per share, for a total transaction of $25,002,249.74. Following the acquisition, the insider owned 9,784,322 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $108,508,130.98. This trade represents a 29.94% increase in their position. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 21,050 shares of company stock valued at $734,041. Insiders own 0.51% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lincoln National

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Insight Inv LLC raised its stake in shares of Lincoln National by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. Insight Inv LLC now owns 48,127 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,143,000 after acquiring an additional 250 shares during the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Lincoln National by 6.5% in the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 4,110 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $185,000 after purchasing an additional 252 shares during the last quarter. Phillips Financial Management LLC increased its holdings in Lincoln National by 1.2% during the 3rd quarter. Phillips Financial Management LLC now owns 21,857 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $881,000 after purchasing an additional 254 shares during the period. CWM LLC increased its holdings in Lincoln National by 2.1% during the 4th quarter. CWM LLC now owns 12,397 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $552,000 after purchasing an additional 255 shares during the period. Finally, Evergreen Capital Management LLC raised its position in Lincoln National by 3.2% during the 2nd quarter. Evergreen Capital Management LLC now owns 8,815 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $305,000 after purchasing an additional 275 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 72.81% of the company’s stock.

Lincoln National Company Profile

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.