Lincoln National Corporation $LNC Stake Increased by Jefferies Financial Group Inc.

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Lincoln National Corporation (NYSE:LNC) by 1,346.9% in the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 104,450 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 97,231 shares during the quarter. Jefferies Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in Lincoln National were worth $4,205,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. grew its stake in shares of Lincoln National by 73.8% during the third quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 266,680 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $10,737,000 after purchasing an additional 113,243 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its stake in Lincoln National by 3.6% in the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 6,106,302 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $215,858,000 after buying an additional 215,007 shares during the period. Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC boosted its stake in Lincoln National by 557.5% during the 2nd quarter. Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC now owns 158,004 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $5,585,000 after acquiring an additional 133,973 shares during the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp bought a new position in shares of Lincoln National during the second quarter worth $63,112,000. Finally, Sei Investments Co. grew its stake in Lincoln National by 9.5% in the first quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 522,832 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $18,561,000 after acquiring an additional 45,549 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 72.81% of the company’s stock.

Lincoln National Price Performance

Lincoln National stock opened at $41.79 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 2.58, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.20 and a beta of 1.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73, a quick ratio of 0.25 and a current ratio of 0.25. Lincoln National Corporation has a 52 week low of $32.18 and a 52 week high of $47.67. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $41.47 and a 200-day moving average of $39.06.

Lincoln National (NYSE:LNC) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 5th. The financial services provider reported $1.72 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.96 by ($0.24). The firm had revenue of $5.06 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.97 billion. Lincoln National had a return on equity of 17.02% and a net margin of 16.36%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.04 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Lincoln National Corporation will post 7.89 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lincoln National Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, February 1st. Investors of record on Monday, January 11th will be paid a dividend of $0.45 per share. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, January 11th. Lincoln National’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 11.12%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on LNC shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on Lincoln National from $49.00 to $47.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, October 15th. Bank of America restated a “neutral” rating and set a $47.00 target price on shares of Lincoln National in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on shares of Lincoln National from $50.00 to $47.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, October 5th. TD Cowen boosted their target price on Lincoln National from $37.00 to $42.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Finally, Mizuho lowered their price target on shares of Lincoln National from $53.00 to $49.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, October 7th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $48.58.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Sean Woodroffe sold 17,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $40.24, for a total value of $704,200.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 103,296 shares in the company, valued at $4,156,631.04. This trade represents a 14.49% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Craigt T. Beazer sold 17,980 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $42.50, for a total transaction of $764,150.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 87,702 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,727,335. The trade was a 17.01% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 98,914 shares of company stock valued at $4,024,989 in the last ninety days. 1.03% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Lincoln National Company Profile

Lincoln National Corporation, operating as Lincoln Financial Group, is a financial services and insurance company whose businesses focus on protecting income and helping individuals and employers plan for financial needs. Its offerings include life insurance, annuities, workplace benefits and retirement plan services. The company serves individuals, employers and retirement plan participants primarily in the United States. Its workplace protection products include benefits such as disability and life insurance, while its retirement services support employers and employees with workplace savings plans.