Lincoln National Co. (NYSE:LNC) Shares Sold by Waters Parkerson & CO. LLC

Waters Parkerson & CO. LLC trimmed its position in shares of Lincoln National Co. (NYSE:LNC - Free Report) by 27.4% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 88,105 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 33,325 shares during the quarter. Waters Parkerson & CO. LLC owned approximately 0.05% of Lincoln National worth $2,794,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. M Holdings Securities Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Lincoln National during the fourth quarter worth approximately $29,000. Kapitalo Investimentos Ltda purchased a new stake in Lincoln National in the 4th quarter valued at $32,000. Headlands Technologies LLC purchased a new stake in Lincoln National in the 4th quarter valued at $35,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in Lincoln National in the 4th quarter valued at $36,000. Finally, Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd grew its holdings in Lincoln National by 182.2% in the 4th quarter. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd now owns 1,250 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $40,000 after buying an additional 807 shares in the last quarter. 72.81% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Lincoln National Trading Down 0.9%

LNC traded down $0.30 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $32.37. 1,286,483 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,641,255. The firm's fifty day moving average is $33.06 and its two-hundred day moving average is $34.07. Lincoln National Co. has a 1-year low of $27.58 and a 1-year high of $39.85. The company has a current ratio of 0.27, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80. The company has a market cap of $5.53 billion, a PE ratio of 1.76, a PEG ratio of 0.30 and a beta of 1.42.

Lincoln National (NYSE:LNC - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 8th. The financial services provider reported $1.60 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.54 by $0.06. Lincoln National had a return on equity of 18.47% and a net margin of 17.76%. The firm had revenue of $4.69 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.71 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.41 EPS. Lincoln National's revenue was up 14.0% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts forecast that Lincoln National Co. will post 7.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lincoln National Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 1st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, July 10th will be given a $0.45 dividend. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.56%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, July 10th. Lincoln National's dividend payout ratio is currently 25.57%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have issued reports on LNC shares. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on Lincoln National from $32.00 to $38.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Monday, May 19th. Barclays upped their target price on Lincoln National from $38.00 to $40.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday, May 9th. Wall Street Zen lowered Lincoln National from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Monday, May 12th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on Lincoln National from $36.00 to $31.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 10th. Finally, UBS Group upped their price target on Lincoln National from $32.00 to $38.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 2nd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Lincoln National has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $36.82.

Lincoln National Company Profile

Lincoln National Corporation, through its subsidiaries, operates multiple insurance and retirement businesses in the United States. It operates in four segments: Life Insurance, Annuities, Group Protection, and Retirement Plan Services. The Life Insurance segment provides life insurance products, including term insurance, universal life insurance (UL), indexed universal life insurance, variable universal life insurance (VUL), linked-benefit UL and VUL products, and critical illness and long-term care riders.