Jefferies Financial Group Inc. Has $267,000 Stock Position in Lincoln National Corporation (NYSE:LNC)

Key Points

• Jefferies Financial Group Inc. significantly reduced its stake in Lincoln National Corporation by 95.1%, selling 145,294 shares and bringing its total to 7,433 shares worth about $267,000.
• Lincoln National's recent quarterly earnings showed an EPS of $2.36, surpassing estimates, while the company's revenue fell short at $4.04 billion compared to an expected $4.65 billion.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.45, reflecting a 4.7% dividend yield and indicating a dividend payout ratio of 31.41%.

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. lowered its position in Lincoln National Corporation (NYSE:LNC - Free Report) by 95.1% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 7,433 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 145,294 shares during the period. Jefferies Financial Group Inc.'s holdings in Lincoln National were worth $267,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in LNC. Baader Bank Aktiengesellschaft grew its holdings in Lincoln National by 4.7% during the first quarter. Baader Bank Aktiengesellschaft now owns 7,329 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $261,000 after acquiring an additional 329 shares during the period. SYM FINANCIAL Corp grew its holdings in Lincoln National by 5.9% in the first quarter. SYM FINANCIAL Corp now owns 7,154 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $257,000 after purchasing an additional 400 shares during the last quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina lifted its position in shares of Lincoln National by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 74,806 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $2,372,000 after acquiring an additional 470 shares in the last quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV lifted its position in shares of Lincoln National by 5.9% in the fourth quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 9,236 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $293,000 after acquiring an additional 513 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Gotham Asset Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Lincoln National by 4.7% in the fourth quarter. Gotham Asset Management LLC now owns 11,720 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $372,000 after acquiring an additional 524 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 72.81% of the company's stock.

Lincoln National Stock Performance

LNC stock traded up $1.44 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $39.66. 1,613,728 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,984,533. The company has a quick ratio of 0.26, a current ratio of 0.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67. Lincoln National Corporation has a 1-year low of $27.58 and a 1-year high of $39.85. The company's fifty day moving average price is $34.63 and its 200-day moving average price is $34.52. The firm has a market cap of $7.52 billion, a PE ratio of 6.92, a P/E/G ratio of 0.53 and a beta of 1.42.

Lincoln National (NYSE:LNC - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The financial services provider reported $2.36 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.91 by $0.45. The company had revenue of $4.04 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.65 billion. Lincoln National had a return on equity of 19.14% and a net margin of 6.34%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.87 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Lincoln National Corporation will post 7.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lincoln National Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 1st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, July 10th were paid a $0.45 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, July 10th. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.5%. Lincoln National's payout ratio is 31.41%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently weighed in on LNC. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Lincoln National from $38.00 to $41.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 8th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their target price on Lincoln National from $40.00 to $42.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a report on Monday, August 4th. Cfra Research upgraded Lincoln National to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, August 6th. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on Lincoln National from $32.00 to $38.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Monday, May 19th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company restated a "positive" rating on shares of Lincoln National in a research note on Tuesday, August 5th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Lincoln National currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $39.22.

Insider Buying and Selling at Lincoln National

In other news, EVP John Christopher Kennedy sold 5,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $39.29, for a total transaction of $196,450.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 123,815 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,864,691.35. This represents a 3.88% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Brian Kroll sold 10,075 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $33.10, for a total value of $333,482.50. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 48,743 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,613,393.30. This trade represents a 17.13% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 58,697 shares of company stock worth $1,959,862 over the last 90 days. 0.54% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

About Lincoln National

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.