Vest Financial LLC Boosts Stock Holdings in Lincoln National Corporation $LNC

Key Points

• Vest Financial LLC increased its stake in Lincoln National (LNC) by 7.4% in the 4th quarter, adding 28,625 shares to hold 413,428 shares worth about $18.41 million (≈0.22% ownership).
• Lincoln National beat Q4 estimates with $2.21 EPS versus $1.86 expected and $4.89B in revenue, and announced a quarterly dividend of $0.45 (annualized $1.80, yield 4.8%, ex-dividend Apr 10, payable May 1).
• Institutional ownership stands at 72.81%, with major funds like Vanguard, Dimensional and MFS recently increasing positions, while analysts' consensus is a "Hold" with an average price target of $43.79.

Vest Financial LLC lifted its holdings in Lincoln National Corporation (NYSE:LNC - Free Report) by 7.4% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 413,428 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 28,625 shares during the period. Vest Financial LLC owned about 0.22% of Lincoln National worth $18,410,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Lincoln National by 6.3% during the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 19,903,720 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $802,717,000 after buying an additional 1,183,934 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its holdings in shares of Lincoln National by 25.3% in the 3rd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 5,730,727 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $231,121,000 after acquiring an additional 1,157,599 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA raised its position in shares of Lincoln National by 21.1% in the 3rd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 5,952,166 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $240,051,000 after acquiring an additional 1,035,505 shares in the last quarter. Marshall Wace LLP bought a new position in shares of Lincoln National in the 3rd quarter worth $29,831,000. Finally, Hudson Bay Capital Management LP purchased a new stake in shares of Lincoln National during the 3rd quarter worth $14,354,000. 72.81% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Lincoln National Trading Down 0.5%

Lincoln National stock opened at $37.37 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $7.15 billion, a PE ratio of 7.04, a P/E/G ratio of 2.39 and a beta of 1.23. Lincoln National Corporation has a 12 month low of $31.08 and a 12 month high of $46.82. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $35.43 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $39.59. The company has a current ratio of 0.27, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59.

Lincoln National (NYSE:LNC - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The financial services provider reported $2.21 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.86 by $0.35. The firm had revenue of $4.89 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.85 billion. Lincoln National had a net margin of 6.46% and a return on equity of 18.52%. The business's revenue was down 2.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.91 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Lincoln National Corporation will post 7.79 earnings per share for the current year.

Lincoln National Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 10th will be given a dividend of $0.45 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 10th. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.8%. Lincoln National's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 33.90%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

LNC has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. National Bank Financial set a $48.00 price target on Lincoln National in a research note on Monday, April 13th. Barclays decreased their price objective on shares of Lincoln National from $44.00 to $42.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 8th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on shares of Lincoln National from $48.00 to $43.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 10th. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on shares of Lincoln National from $50.00 to $46.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Finally, UBS Group decreased their target price on shares of Lincoln National from $43.00 to $37.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $43.79.

Insider Activity at Lincoln National

In related news, EVP Sean Woodroffe sold 10,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $34.46, for a total value of $344,600.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 206,159 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,104,239.14. This represents a 4.63% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, major shareholder National Life Insuranc Lincoln acquired 2,254,486 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 25th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $11.09 per share, for a total transaction of $25,002,249.74. Following the completion of the acquisition, the insider owned 9,784,322 shares of the company's stock, valued at $108,508,130.98. This trade represents a 29.94% increase in their position. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 21,050 shares of company stock worth $734,041 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.54% of the company's stock.

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.