Lincoln National Corporation (NYSE:LNC) Given Average Recommendation of "Hold" by Analysts

Key Points

• Analysts maintain a “Hold” consensus on Lincoln National, with seven buys, six holds, and two sells among 15 firms. The average 12-month price target is $47.07 versus the stock’s reported price of $42.65.
• Lincoln National exceeded quarterly expectations, reporting adjusted EPS of $2.24 versus the $1.96 consensus and revenue of $4.93 billion, up 12.3% year over year.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.45 per share, equal to an annualized $1.80 and a 4.2% yield; meanwhile, insiders sold 56,007 shares worth approximately $1.93 million over the past 90 days.

Lincoln National Corporation (NYSE:LNC - Get Free Report) has been assigned a consensus rating of "Hold" from the fifteen brokerages that are covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, six have issued a hold recommendation and seven have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price objective among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $47.0714.

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on LNC shares. Bank of America reiterated a "neutral" rating and set a $47.00 target price on shares of Lincoln National in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on shares of Lincoln National from $40.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday. TD Cowen increased their price target on shares of Lincoln National from $37.00 to $42.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of Lincoln National from $44.00 to $47.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 9th. Finally, Barclays raised shares of Lincoln National from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $42.00 to $45.00 in a report on Monday, July 6th.

Lincoln National Stock Performance

NYSE:LNC opened at $42.65 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $8.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 3.70, a PEG ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 1.15. The company has a quick ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 0.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62. The business's 50-day moving average price is $41.33 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $37.85. Lincoln National has a twelve month low of $32.18 and a twelve month high of $47.67.

Lincoln National (NYSE:LNC - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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%.Lincoln National's revenue was up 12.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.36 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts predict that Lincoln National will post 7.85 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lincoln National Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 2nd. Shareholders of record on Monday, October 12th will be given 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 4.2%. Lincoln National's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 15.60%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Lincoln National

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 transaction of $498,080.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 119,947 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,431,200.16. This represents a 8.40% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Craigt T. Beazer sold 30,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $34.45, for a total transaction of $1,033,500.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 103,906 shares in the company, valued at $3,579,561.70. The trade was a 22.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 56,007 shares of company stock worth $1,929,266 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 1.03% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Lincoln National

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in LNC. Fideuram Intesa Sanpaolo Private Banking S.P.A. bought a new position in shares of Lincoln National during the fourth quarter valued at about $4,742,000. Wealthstar Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Lincoln National in the first quarter worth about $1,183,000. Oxbow Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Lincoln National by 22.1% in the fourth quarter. Oxbow Advisors LLC now owns 231,208 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $10,296,000 after purchasing an additional 41,817 shares during the last quarter. Sei Investments Co. grew its stake in shares of Lincoln National by 9.5% in the first quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 522,832 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $18,561,000 after purchasing an additional 45,549 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Hsbc Holdings PLC increased its holdings in Lincoln National by 10.9% during the 4th quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 1,360,587 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $60,495,000 after purchasing an additional 133,388 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 72.81% of the company's stock.

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.

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