M Holdings Securities Inc. Makes New Investment in Lincoln National Corporation $LNC

Key Points

• M Holdings Securities bought 49,499 Lincoln National shares in the third quarter, a stake valued at approximately $2.06 million. Institutional investors collectively own 72.81% of the company’s stock.
• Lincoln National reported quarterly EPS of $1.72, missing the $1.96 analyst consensus, while revenue of $5.06 billion exceeded estimates of $4.97 billion.
• Analyst sentiment is mixed: the stock has an overall “Hold” rating and an average price target of $48.67. Company insiders also sold about 95,941 shares worth $3.66 million over the past 90 days.

M Holdings Securities Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Lincoln National Corporation (NYSE:LNC - Free Report) in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 49,499 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $2,061,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of LNC. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its stake in Lincoln National by 24.4% in the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 7,755,506 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $275,304,000 after purchasing an additional 1,522,179 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp increased its stake in Lincoln National by 3.6% during the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 6,106,302 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $215,858,000 after purchasing an additional 215,007 shares in the last quarter. Jennison Associates LLC increased its stake in Lincoln National by 3.9% during the 1st quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 3,823,152 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $135,722,000 after purchasing an additional 141,994 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp bought a new stake in Lincoln National during the 2nd quarter valued at about $63,112,000. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE raised its holdings in Lincoln National by 11.5% in the second quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 1,592,814 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $56,306,000 after buying an additional 163,969 shares during the last quarter. 72.81% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Lincoln National Price Performance

LNC opened at $43.05 on Tuesday. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $41.51 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $39.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a current ratio of 0.27. The stock has a market capitalization of $8.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 2.66, a P/E/G ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 1.16. Lincoln National Corporation has a 52-week low of $32.18 and a 52-week high of $47.67.

Lincoln National (NYSE:LNC - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 5th. The financial services provider reported $1.72 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.96 by ($0.24). The company had revenue of $5.06 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.97 billion. Lincoln National had a return on equity of 17.35% and a net margin of 12.21%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.04 earnings per share. As a group, analysts predict that Lincoln National Corporation will post 7.90 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on LNC. Bank of America reiterated a "neutral" rating and issued a $47.00 target price on shares of Lincoln National in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of Lincoln National from $52.00 to $54.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, October 12th. Barclays upped their price objective on Lincoln National from $45.00 to $48.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 7th. UBS Group increased their target price on Lincoln National from $44.00 to $46.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 6th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on Lincoln National from $50.00 to $47.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Monday, October 5th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $48.67.

Insider Activity at Lincoln National

In other Lincoln National news, EVP Sean Woodroffe sold 17,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $40.24, for a total value of $704,200.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 103,296 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,156,631.04. This represents a 14.49% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP James Reid sold 52,434 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $39.26, for a total value of $2,058,558.84. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 129,533 shares in the company, valued at $5,085,465.58. The trade was a 28.82% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 95,941 shares of company stock worth $3,658,524. 1.03% of the stock is owned by insiders.

About Lincoln National

Lincoln National Corporation, operating as Lincoln Financial Group, is a financial services and insurance company whose businesses focus on protecting income and helping individuals and employers plan for financial needs. Its offerings include life insurance, annuities, workplace benefits and retirement plan services.

The company serves individuals, employers and retirement plan participants primarily in the United States. Its workplace protection products include benefits such as disability and life insurance, while its retirement services support employers and employees with workplace savings plans.

Founded in 1905 as The Lincoln National Life Insurance Company, the business takes its name from Abraham Lincoln.

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