Lincoln National Corporation (NYSE:LNC) Given Average Rating of “Hold” by Brokerages

Lincoln National Corporation (NYSE:LNC) has been given a consensus rating of “Hold” by the fifteen analysts that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price objective among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $47.0714.

LNC has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of Lincoln National from $39.00 to $44.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 8th. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on shares of Lincoln National from $40.00 to $50.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, August 24th. National Bank Financial set a $50.00 price target on shares of Lincoln National in a report on Monday, August 24th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price objective on Lincoln National from $46.00 to $51.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, July 31st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on Lincoln National from $40.00 to $42.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 21st.

Lincoln National Price Performance

Lincoln National stock opened at $42.72 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $8.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 3.70, a P/E/G ratio of 1.51 and a beta of 1.14. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $41.89 and its 200 day moving average price is $37.99. 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 has a 1 year low of $32.18 and a 1 year high of $47.67.

Lincoln National (NYSE:LNC) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The financial services provider reported $2.24 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.96 by $0.28. The business had revenue of $4.93 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.89 billion. Lincoln National had a return on equity of 17.35% and a net margin of 12.21%.The business’s revenue was up 12.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.36 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Lincoln National will post 7.97 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lincoln National Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 2nd. Stockholders of record on Monday, October 12th will be issued a $0.45 dividend. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.2%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, October 9th. Lincoln National’s dividend payout ratio is currently 15.60%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Gary C. Kelly sold 15,007 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $26.50, for a total transaction of $397,685.50. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Sean Woodroffe sold 11,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $45.28, for a total transaction of $498,080.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 119,947 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,431,200.16. The trade was a 8.40% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 56,007 shares of company stock worth $1,929,266 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 1.03% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Lincoln National

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Bain Capital Prairie LLC acquired a new position in Lincoln National in the fourth quarter valued at $835,360,000. California State Teachers Retirement System grew its stake in Lincoln National by 3,440.0% during the 2nd quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 7,021,182 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $248,199,000 after buying an additional 6,822,846 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Lincoln National during the fourth quarter worth approximately $101,114,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp acquired a new position in Lincoln National during the second quarter worth approximately $63,112,000. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its stake 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 valued at $275,304,000 after buying an additional 1,522,179 shares during the last quarter. 72.81% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.