Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. Trims Holdings in Lincoln National Corporation $LNC

Key Points

• Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management cut its Lincoln National holdings by 55.5% in the second quarter, selling 24,332 shares and retaining 19,520 shares worth approximately $690,000. Institutional investors collectively own 72.81% of the company.
• Analyst sentiment remains mixed, with seven Buy, six Hold, and two Sell ratings; the consensus rating is Hold with a target price of $47.07. Lincoln National recently beat quarterly EPS estimates, reporting $2.24 versus the $1.96 consensus.
• Lincoln National announced a quarterly dividend of $0.45 per share, equivalent to an annualized $1.80 dividend and a 4.0% yield. Shares opened at $45.42, near their 52-week high of $47.67.

Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. reduced its holdings in shares of Lincoln National Corporation (NYSE:LNC - Free Report) by 55.5% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 19,520 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 24,332 shares during the period. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co.'s holdings in Lincoln National were worth $690,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Trust Co. of Vermont purchased a new stake in shares of Lincoln National in the second quarter valued at about $28,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Lincoln National during the third quarter worth about $29,000. Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Lincoln National in the 4th quarter valued at about $32,000. NBT Bank N A NY increased its position in Lincoln National by 2,051.1% in the 1st quarter. NBT Bank N A NY now owns 968 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 923 shares during the period. Finally, Los Angeles Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Lincoln National during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $34,000. 72.81% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have weighed in on LNC shares. Weiss Ratings upgraded Lincoln National from a "hold (c)" rating to a "buy (b)" rating in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Lincoln National from $44.00 to $47.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, July 9th. Bank of America reiterated a "neutral" rating and issued a $47.00 price objective on shares of Lincoln National in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. UBS Group increased their price target on shares of Lincoln National from $39.00 to $44.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 8th. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on shares of Lincoln National from $40.00 to $50.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, August 24th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $47.07.

Lincoln National Price Performance

Shares of NYSE LNC opened at $45.42 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 3.94, a PEG ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 1.12. Lincoln National Corporation has a one year low of $32.18 and a one year high of $47.67. The company's fifty day moving average is $42.41 and its two-hundred day moving average is $38.09. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a current ratio of 0.27.

Lincoln National (NYSE:LNC - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The financial services provider reported $2.24 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.96 by $0.28. Lincoln National had a net margin of 12.21% and a return on equity of 17.35%. The business had revenue of $4.93 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.89 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.36 EPS. The business's revenue was up 12.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts forecast that Lincoln National Corporation will post 7.97 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lincoln National Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 2nd. Shareholders of record on Monday, October 12th will be issued a $0.45 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, October 9th. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.0%. Lincoln National's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 15.60%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Sean Woodroffe sold 11,000 shares of Lincoln National stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $45.28, for a total transaction of $498,080.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 119,947 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,431,200.16. This trade represents a 8.40% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Gary Kelly sold 15,007 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $26.50, for a total value of $397,685.50. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 1.03% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Lincoln National Company Profile

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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