Lincoln National Corporation (NYSE:LNC) Stock Has Consensus Price Target of $48.25 According to Brokerages

Shares of Lincoln National Corporation (NYSE:LNC) have received an average rating of “Hold” from the thirteen brokerages that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, five have issued a hold recommendation and seven have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $48.67.

LNC has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Weiss Ratings upgraded Lincoln National from a “hold (c)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. Barclays upped their target price on Lincoln National from $45.00 to $48.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 7th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Lincoln National from $52.00 to $54.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, October 12th. Mizuho dropped their price target on Lincoln National from $53.00 to $49.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, October 7th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price target on Lincoln National from $56.00 to $57.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, July 10th.

Lincoln National Stock Down 1.3%

Lincoln National stock opened at $39.30 on Thursday. Lincoln National has a fifty-two week low of $32.18 and a fifty-two week high of $47.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a current ratio of 0.27. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $42.42 and its 200 day simple moving average is $39.44. The stock has a market cap of $7.52 billion, a PE ratio of 3.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.34 and a beta of 1.16.

Lincoln National (NYSE:LNC) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 30th. The financial services provider reported $2.24 EPS for the quarter, beating 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%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 12.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.36 EPS. Research analysts predict that Lincoln National will post 7.94 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lincoln National Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 2nd. Stockholders of record on Monday, October 12th will be given a dividend of $0.45 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, October 9th. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.6%. Lincoln National’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 15.60%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Lincoln National

In other news, EVP Sean Woodroffe sold 11,000 shares of Lincoln National stock in a transaction on Monday, August 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $45.28, for a total transaction of $498,080.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 119,947 shares in the company, valued at $5,431,200.16. The trade was a 8.40% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Gary Kelly sold 15,007 shares of Lincoln National stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $26.50, for a total value of $397,685.50. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Company insiders own 1.03% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Lincoln National

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Arizona State Retirement System grew its position in shares of Lincoln National by 0.5% during the 2nd quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 47,206 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,669,000 after acquiring an additional 252 shares during the period. Integrated Advisors Network LLC increased its stake in shares of Lincoln National by 3.3% in the 1st quarter. Integrated Advisors Network LLC now owns 8,677 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $308,000 after purchasing an additional 279 shares in the last quarter. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Lincoln National by 5.3% in the 1st quarter. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 5,964 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $212,000 after purchasing an additional 299 shares during the period. IFP Advisors Inc raised its holdings in Lincoln National by 7.0% in the 3rd quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 5,362 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $216,000 after purchasing an additional 349 shares during the period. Finally, Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC raised its holdings in Lincoln National by 1.5% in the 2nd quarter. Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC now owns 30,999 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,096,000 after purchasing an additional 454 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 72.81% of the company’s stock.

About Lincoln National

Lincoln National Corporation, operating under the Lincoln Financial Group brand, is a financial services company that provides insurance and retirement products primarily in the United States. Its businesses are designed to help individuals, employers and institutions manage financial protection, income and long-term savings needs.

The company offers life insurance and annuities, including products intended to provide death-benefit protection, retirement income and asset accumulation. Through its group protection business, Lincoln also provides employer-sponsored disability, dental, vision and leave-management solutions, as well as related workplace benefits and services.

Lincoln traces its history to the founding of The Lincoln National Life Insurance Company in Fort Wayne, Indiana, in 1905.