WINTON GROUP Ltd Trims Holdings in Lincoln National Corporation $LNC

WINTON GROUP Ltd decreased its position in shares of Lincoln National Corporation (NYSE:LNC - Free Report) by 29.5% in the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 56,998 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 23,793 shares during the quarter. WINTON GROUP Ltd's holdings in Lincoln National were worth $2,015,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Fideuram Intesa Sanpaolo Private Banking S.P.A. acquired a new stake in shares of Lincoln National in the fourth quarter worth $4,742,000. Wealthstar Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Lincoln National during the first quarter valued at $1,183,000. Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC boosted its holdings in Lincoln National by 557.5% in the second quarter. Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC now owns 158,004 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $5,585,000 after purchasing an additional 133,973 shares during the last quarter. Sei Investments Co. grew its position in Lincoln National by 9.5% during the 1st quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 522,832 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $18,561,000 after purchasing an additional 45,549 shares during the period. Finally, Hsbc Holdings PLC grew its position in Lincoln National by 10.9% during the 4th quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 1,360,587 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $60,495,000 after purchasing an additional 133,388 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 72.81% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on LNC. National Bank Financial set a $50.00 price objective on Lincoln National in a report on Monday, August 24th. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on Lincoln National from $40.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, August 24th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on Lincoln National from $56.00 to $57.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, July 10th. UBS Group upped their price objective on Lincoln National from $39.00 to $44.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 8th. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised shares of Lincoln National from a "hold (c)" rating to a "buy (b)" rating in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Lincoln National presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $47.07.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Sean Woodroffe sold 11,000 shares of Lincoln National stock in a transaction on Monday, August 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $45.28, for a total value of $498,080.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 119,947 shares of the company's stock, 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 can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Gary Kelly sold 15,007 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $26.50, for a total transaction 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 Price Performance

Shares of Lincoln National stock opened at $43.80 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $8.38 billion, a PE ratio of 3.80, a P/E/G ratio of 1.54 and a beta of 1.12. Lincoln National Corporation has a twelve month low of $32.18 and a twelve month high of $47.67. The company has a quick ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 0.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $43.16 and a 200 day moving average price of $38.20.

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

Lincoln National Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 2nd. Stockholders of record on Monday, October 12th will be given a dividend of $0.45 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, October 9th. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.1%. Lincoln National's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 15.60%.

Lincoln National Company Profile

Lincoln National Corporation, operating under the Lincoln Financial Group brand, is a financial services company that provides insurance and retirement solutions primarily in the United States. Its businesses are designed to help individuals, employers and institutions manage income protection, long-term financial planning and retirement needs.

The company offers life insurance, annuities and group protection products. Its group protection business includes employer-sponsored life, disability and dental insurance, while its retirement business provides products and services intended to support workplace retirement plans and individual retirement income strategies.

Lincoln traces its origins to the founding of The Lincoln National Life Insurance Company in 1905 and takes its name from President Abraham Lincoln.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding LNC? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Lincoln National Corporation (NYSE:LNC - Free Report).

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.