Lincoln National Corporation $LNC Shares Sold by Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co.

Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. lessened its holdings in Lincoln National Corporation (NYSE:LNC) by 55.5% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 19,520 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 24,332 shares during the period. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co.’s holdings in Lincoln National were worth $690,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of LNC. Trust Co. of Vermont purchased a new stake in Lincoln National in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $28,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Lincoln National during the third quarter worth $29,000. Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Lincoln National during the fourth quarter worth $32,000. NBT Bank N A NY raised its holdings in shares of Lincoln National by 2,051.1% in the first quarter. NBT Bank N A NY now owns 968 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 923 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Los Angeles Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Lincoln National in the fourth quarter valued at $34,000. 72.81% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently commented on the company. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on Lincoln National from $40.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, August 24th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price target on shares of Lincoln National from $46.00 to $51.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Bank of America reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $47.00 price objective on shares of Lincoln National in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. UBS Group raised their target price on shares of Lincoln National from $39.00 to $44.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 8th. Finally, National Bank Financial set a $50.00 price target on Lincoln National in a research note on Monday, August 24th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Lincoln National presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $47.07.

Lincoln National Trading Down 0.5%

Shares of LNC opened at $45.42 on Friday. Lincoln National Corporation has a twelve month low of $32.18 and a twelve month high of $47.67. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 3.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 1.12. The company has a current ratio of 0.27, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $42.41 and its 200 day simple moving average is $38.09.

Lincoln National (NYSE:LNC) last announced 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 company had revenue of $4.93 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.89 billion. Lincoln National had a return on equity of 17.35% and a net margin of 12.21%.The firm’s revenue was up 12.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.36 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Lincoln National Corporation will post 7.97 earnings per share for the current year.

Lincoln National Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 2nd. Stockholders of record on Monday, October 12th will be given a $0.45 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, October 9th. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.0%. Lincoln National’s dividend payout ratio is presently 15.60%.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Sean Woodroffe sold 11,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $45.28, for a total value of $498,080.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 119,947 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,431,200.16. This trade represents a 8.40% decrease 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, Director Gary Kelly sold 15,007 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $26.50, for a total transaction of $397,685.50. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 1.03% of the stock is owned by corporate 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.