Lincoln National Corporation (LNC) - What Are Researchers Saying About This Stock?

Key Points

• Analyst consensus is “Hold” for Lincoln National, with seven buys, five holds and one sell among 13 covering firms. The average 12-month price target is $48.25, above the reported $40.18 share price.
• Lincoln National beat quarterly expectations, reporting $2.24 in EPS versus the $1.96 consensus, while revenue rose 12.3% year over year to $4.93 billion. Analysts expect full-year EPS of approximately $7.93.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.45 per share, equivalent to an annualized $1.80 payout and a 4.5% yield. Institutional investors own 72.81% of the stock, while recent insider transactions included sales by a director and an executive vice president.

Shares of Lincoln National Corporation (NYSE:LNC - Get Free Report) have received an average recommendation of "Hold" from the thirteen research firms that are covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $48.25.

LNC has been the subject of a number of research reports. Barclays lifted their price objective on Lincoln National from $45.00 to $48.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 7th. Weiss Ratings upgraded Lincoln National from a "hold (c)" rating to a "buy (b)" rating in a report on Monday, August 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on Lincoln National from $52.00 to $54.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday. Bank of America reissued a "neutral" rating and set a $47.00 target price on shares of Lincoln National in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Finally, UBS Group raised their target price on Lincoln National from $44.00 to $46.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, October 6th.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Gary C. Kelly sold 15,007 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $26.50, for a total value of $397,685.50. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Sean Woodroffe sold 11,000 shares of Lincoln National 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 owned 119,947 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,431,200.16. This trade represents a 8.40% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 1.03% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lincoln National

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in LNC. Bain Capital Prairie LLC acquired a new stake in Lincoln National in the 4th quarter valued at about $835,360,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its position in shares of Lincoln National by 24.4% during 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 buying an additional 1,522,179 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp grew its position in shares of Lincoln National by 3.6% during the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 6,106,302 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $215,858,000 after buying an additional 215,007 shares in the last quarter. Jennison Associates LLC grew its position in shares of Lincoln National by 3.9% during the first quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 3,823,152 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $135,722,000 after buying an additional 141,994 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp acquired a new position in shares of Lincoln National during the second quarter worth about $63,112,000. 72.81% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Lincoln National Stock Down 1.1%

Lincoln National stock opened at $40.18 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $7.69 billion, a PE ratio of 3.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.37 and a beta of 1.16. 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 fifty-two week low of $32.18 and a fifty-two week high of $47.67. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $42.81 and a 200 day moving average price of $39.33.

Lincoln National (NYSE:LNC - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The financial services provider reported $2.24 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.96 by $0.28. Lincoln National had a return on equity of 17.35% and a net margin of 12.21%. The company had revenue of $4.93 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.89 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $2.36 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 12.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts expect that Lincoln National will post 7.93 earnings per share for the current year.

Lincoln National Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 2nd. Shareholders of record on Monday, October 12th will be paid a dividend of $0.45 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, October 9th. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.5%. Lincoln National's dividend payout ratio is 15.60%.

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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