Entropy Technologies LP Takes Position in Lincoln National Corporation $LNC

Key Points

• Entropy Technologies LP purchased 56,675 Lincoln National shares worth approximately $2.0 million in the first quarter, while institutional investors overall own 72.81% of the stock.
• Analyst views remain mixed: six analysts rate LNC a Buy, eight a Hold, and two a Sell, producing an average rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $45.21.
• Lincoln National exceeded quarterly EPS expectations with $1.66 versus $1.58 estimated and announced a quarterly dividend of $0.45, equivalent to a 4.4% annualized yield.

Entropy Technologies LP bought a new position in Lincoln National Corporation (NYSE:LNC - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 56,675 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $2,012,000.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in LNC. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership increased its holdings in shares of 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 valued at $24,248,000 after buying an additional 570,884 shares in the last quarter. Caxton Associates LLP grew its holdings in shares of Lincoln National by 4.6% in the 1st quarter. Caxton Associates LLP now owns 42,696 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,516,000 after acquiring an additional 1,883 shares during the last quarter. Sei Investments Co. raised its position in shares of Lincoln National by 9.5% during 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 period. Lido Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Lincoln National in the first quarter worth $202,000. Finally, State of Wyoming purchased a new stake in shares of Lincoln National during the first quarter worth $434,000. 72.81% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently commented on LNC. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on Lincoln National from $43.00 to $40.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, May 21st. Mizuho boosted their target price on shares of Lincoln National from $48.00 to $51.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 9th. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Lincoln National from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a research note on Monday, May 11th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Lincoln National from $44.00 to $47.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 9th. Finally, Bank of America dropped their price objective on shares of Lincoln National from $41.00 to $37.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 14th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Lincoln National has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $45.21.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Craigt T. Beazer sold 30,000 shares of Lincoln National 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 sale, the executive vice president directly owned 103,906 shares in the company, valued at $3,579,561.70. This trade represents a 22.40% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 1.03% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Lincoln National Trading Down 0.1%

Shares of LNC stock opened at $41.32 on Monday. Lincoln National Corporation has a twelve month low of $32.18 and a twelve month high of $46.82. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $37.42 and its 200 day simple moving average is $37.45. The company has a quick ratio of 0.25, a current ratio of 0.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 4.79, a P/E/G ratio of 2.92 and a beta of 1.17.

Lincoln National (NYSE:LNC - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The financial services provider reported $1.66 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.58 by $0.08. The firm had revenue of $4.87 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.93 billion. Lincoln National had a return on equity of 18.07% and a net margin of 9.17%.The business's quarterly revenue was up 13.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.60 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Lincoln National Corporation will post 7.73 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lincoln National Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 3rd. Investors of record on Friday, July 10th will be issued a $0.45 dividend. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.4%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 10th. Lincoln National's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 20.88%.

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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