Lincoln National (NYSE:LNC) Price Target Raised to $54.00

Key Points

• Wells Fargo raised Lincoln National’s price target to $54 from $52 and maintained an “overweight” rating, implying 32.6% potential upside from the reported $40.72 share price.
• Analyst sentiment remains mixed: seven analysts rate the stock a Buy, five a Hold, and one a Sell, resulting in a consensus “Hold” rating and an average target price of $48.25.
• Lincoln National’s latest quarterly results exceeded expectations, with EPS of $2.24 versus the $1.96 consensus estimate and revenue of $4.93 billion, up 12.3% year over year.

Lincoln National (NYSE:LNC - Get Free Report) had its price objective hoisted by investment analysts at Wells Fargo & Company from $52.00 to $54.00 in a research note issued to investors on Monday, Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an "overweight" rating on the financial services provider's stock. Wells Fargo & Company's target price points to a potential upside of 32.60% from the stock's current price.

LNC has been the subject of several other reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their target price on Lincoln National from $51.00 to $50.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Friday. UBS Group upped their price target on Lincoln National from $44.00 to $46.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on Lincoln National from $40.00 to $42.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 21st. Weiss Ratings upgraded Lincoln National from a "hold (c)" rating to a "buy (b)" rating in a report on Monday, August 3rd. Finally, Mizuho lowered their price objective on Lincoln National from $53.00 to $49.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, October 7th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $48.25.

Lincoln National Price Performance

Shares of LNC traded up $0.49 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $40.72. 129,840 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,037,333. 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 has a market capitalization of $7.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 3.52, a PEG ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 1.16. The business has a 50-day moving average of $43.18 and a 200 day moving average of $39.23. Lincoln National has a one year low of $32.18 and a one year high of $47.67.

Lincoln National (NYSE:LNC - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 30th. The financial services provider reported $2.24 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.96 by $0.28. Lincoln National had a net margin of 12.21% and a return on equity of 17.35%. The firm had revenue of $4.93 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.89 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.36 EPS. Lincoln National's revenue was up 12.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts expect that Lincoln National will post 7.95 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Lincoln National

In other news, Director Gary C. Kelly sold 15,007 shares of the 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 transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Sean Woodroffe sold 11,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on 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 transaction, the executive vice president owned 119,947 shares in the company, valued at $5,431,200.16. This represents a 8.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders own 1.03% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lincoln National

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in LNC. Bain Capital Prairie LLC acquired a new position in Lincoln National during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $835,360,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp bought a new stake in Lincoln National in the second quarter valued at approximately $63,112,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its holdings 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 worth $275,304,000 after purchasing an additional 1,522,179 shares during the period. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership raised its holdings in Lincoln National by 509.0% in the first quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 683,040 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $24,248,000 after purchasing an additional 570,884 shares during the period. Finally, Interval Partners LP boosted its position in shares of Lincoln National by 305.5% during the fourth quarter. Interval Partners LP now owns 616,491 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $27,452,000 after purchasing an additional 464,448 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 72.81% of the company's stock.

Lincoln National Company Profile

Lincoln National Corporation, operating under the Lincoln Financial Group brand, is a financial services company that provides insurance and retirement solutions primarily in the United States. Its businesses serve individuals, families, employers and institutions through a portfolio of life insurance, annuities and workplace benefit products.

The company's offerings include term and permanent life insurance, variable and fixed annuities, and retirement plan services designed to support income and financial planning needs.

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