Analysts Set Lincoln National Corporation (NYSE:LNC) Price Target at $46.43

Shares of Lincoln National Corporation (NYSE:LNC) have received an average rating of “Hold” from the fifteen brokerages that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, six have assigned a hold recommendation and seven have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $46.4286.

Several research analysts recently weighed in on LNC shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their target price on Lincoln National from $46.00 to $51.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Bank of America restated a “neutral” rating and set a $47.00 price target on shares of Lincoln National in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Weiss Ratings raised Lincoln National from a “hold (c)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research note on Monday. National Bank Financial set a $51.00 target price on Lincoln National in a report on Thursday, July 9th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of Lincoln National from $44.00 to $47.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 9th.

Insider Buying and Selling at Lincoln National

In related news, EVP Craigt T. Beazer sold 30,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 103,906 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,579,561.70. This represents a 22.40% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 1.03% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. V Square Quantitative Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Lincoln National during the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Lincoln National in the 4th quarter valued at about $32,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Lincoln National in the third quarter valued at about $29,000. Trust Co. of Vermont acquired a new stake in shares of Lincoln National in the 2nd quarter valued at about $28,000. Finally, Los Angeles Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Lincoln National during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 72.81% of the company’s stock.

Lincoln National Price Performance

LNC opened at $46.03 on Friday. Lincoln National has a 1 year low of $32.18 and a 1 year high of $47.67. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $39.34 and its 200 day simple moving average is $37.63. The stock has a market capitalization of $8.81 billion, a PE ratio of 3.99, a P/E/G ratio of 1.68 and a beta of 1.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a current ratio of 0.27.

Lincoln National (NYSE:LNC) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The financial services provider reported $2.24 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.96 by $0.28. The firm had revenue of $4.93 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.89 billion. Lincoln National had a net margin of 12.21% and a return on equity of 17.35%. Lincoln National’s revenue for the quarter was up 12.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $2.36 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Lincoln National will post 7.82 EPS for the current year.

Lincoln National Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, August 3rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 10th were given a $0.45 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, July 10th. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.9%. Lincoln National’s dividend payout ratio is presently 15.60%.

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.