Kempner Capital Management Inc. Lowers Position in Lincoln National Corporation $LNC

Kempner Capital Management Inc. lowered its stake in shares of Lincoln National Corporation (NYSE:LNC) by 48.5% during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 81,775 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 77,131 shares during the period. Lincoln National comprises approximately 2.7% of Kempner Capital Management Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 12th biggest holding. Kempner Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Lincoln National were worth $3,298,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in LNC. Collar Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Lincoln National by 1.3% during the 3rd quarter. Collar Capital Management LLC now owns 91,043 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $3,672,000 after buying an additional 1,152 shares during the last quarter. World Investment Advisors purchased a new stake in Lincoln National during the third quarter valued at about $202,000. Martel Wealth Advisors Inc purchased a new stake in Lincoln National during the third quarter valued at about $206,000. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC increased its stake in Lincoln National by 47.1% during the third quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 110,741 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $4,466,000 after acquiring an additional 35,437 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Focus Financial Network Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Lincoln National by 4.0% in the 3rd quarter. Focus Financial Network Inc. now owns 7,821 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $315,000 after purchasing an additional 300 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 72.81% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on LNC shares. Evercore ISI boosted their target price on Lincoln National from $45.00 to $46.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a report on Thursday, October 9th. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Lincoln National from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 4th. Wolfe Research raised shares of Lincoln National to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 16th. UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of Lincoln National from $42.00 to $43.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, October 31st. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on Lincoln National from $52.00 to $59.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, December 15th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $47.17.

Lincoln National Price Performance

Shares of LNC stock opened at $45.73 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $42.06 and a 200-day simple moving average of $39.38. The company has a market capitalization of $8.69 billion, a PE ratio of 4.11, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.46 and a beta of 1.33. Lincoln National Corporation has a twelve month low of $27.58 and a twelve month high of $46.71. The company has a current ratio of 0.28, a quick ratio of 0.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61.

Lincoln National (NYSE:LNC) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 30th. The financial services provider reported $2.04 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.84 by $0.20. The firm had revenue of $4.56 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.80 billion. Lincoln National had a net margin of 11.49% and a return on equity of 18.77%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.06 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Lincoln National Corporation 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 Monday, February 2nd. Investors of record on Monday, January 12th will be issued a $0.45 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, January 12th. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.9%. Lincoln National’s dividend payout ratio is currently 16.16%.

Insider Activity at Lincoln National

In other Lincoln National news, Director Owen Ryan acquired 2,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 12th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $42.17 per share, for a total transaction of $84,340.00. Following the acquisition, the director directly owned 12,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $506,040. This trade represents a 20.00% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP John Christopher Kennedy sold 3,519 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the executive vice president owned 118,985 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,253,187.75. This trade represents a 2.87% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 0.51% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.