Lincoln National (NYSE:LNC) Stock Price Expected to Rise, TD Cowen Analyst Says

Lincoln National (NYSE:LNC) had its target price hoisted by investment analysts at TD Cowen from $37.00 to $42.00 in a research report issued on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a “hold” rating on the financial services provider’s stock. TD Cowen’s target price would indicate a potential upside of 2.75% from the stock’s current price.

A number of other research firms have also weighed in on LNC. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on shares of Lincoln National from $43.00 to $40.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, May 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Lincoln National from $40.00 to $42.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday. National Bank Financial set a $51.00 price target on Lincoln National in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. Bank of America decreased their price objective on Lincoln National from $41.00 to $37.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 14th. Finally, Weiss Ratings downgraded Lincoln National from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research note on Monday, May 11th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Lincoln National currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $45.21.

Lincoln National Stock Performance

Shares of LNC stock opened at $40.88 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.25, a quick ratio of 0.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $37.28 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $37.48. Lincoln National has a 12 month low of $32.18 and a 12 month high of $46.82. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.82 billion, a PE ratio of 4.74, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.95 and a beta of 1.17.

Lincoln National (NYSE:LNC) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 7th. The financial services provider reported $1.66 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.58 by $0.08. The firm had revenue of $4.87 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.93 billion. Lincoln National had a net margin of 9.17% and a return on equity of 18.07%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 13.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.60 earnings per share. Analysts forecast that Lincoln National will post 7.73 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Lincoln National

In related news, EVP Craigt T. Beazer sold 30,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $34.45, for a total transaction of $1,033,500.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 103,906 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,579,561.70. This trade represents a 22.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 1.03% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lincoln National

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Bain Capital Prairie LLC bought a new stake in Lincoln National during the fourth quarter worth $835,360,000. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Lincoln National in the fourth quarter worth $101,114,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its position in Lincoln National by 24.4% in the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 7,755,506 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $275,304,000 after purchasing an additional 1,522,179 shares during the last quarter. Jennison Associates LLC grew its stake in Lincoln National by 58.7% in the 4th quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 3,681,158 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $163,922,000 after purchasing an additional 1,361,835 shares during the period. Finally, Marshall Wace LLP bought a new position in Lincoln National in the 3rd quarter valued at $29,831,000. Hedge funds and other 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.