JPMorgan Chase & Co. Issues Positive Forecast for Lincoln National (NYSE:LNC) Stock Price

Key Points

• JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its price target on Lincoln National from $40 to $42, while keeping an underweight rating. The new target suggests only about 1.07% upside from the prior close.
• Analyst views on Lincoln National are mixed: Barclays and Mizuho were more optimistic, while Weiss Ratings downgraded the stock. Overall, the consensus rating remains Hold with a consensus price target of $44.93.
• Lincoln National reported Q1 EPS of $1.66, topping expectations, and revenue rose 13.1% year over year. The stock traded near $41.55 on Tuesday, close to its 52-week high of $46.82.

Lincoln National (NYSE:LNC - Get Free Report) had its price objective upped by equities research analysts at JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $40.00 to $42.00 in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an "underweight" rating on the financial services provider's stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co.'s price target points to a potential upside of 1.07% from the stock's previous close.

Other research analysts have also issued reports about the stock. Barclays upgraded shares of Lincoln National from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $42.00 to $45.00 in a research note on Monday, July 6th. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Lincoln National from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a research note on Monday, May 11th. Mizuho boosted their price target on Lincoln National from $48.00 to $51.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 9th. 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 research report on Friday, July 10th. Finally, UBS Group upped their price objective on Lincoln National from $39.00 to $44.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 8th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $44.93.

Lincoln National Stock Performance

Shares of LNC stock traded down $0.06 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $41.55. The stock had a trading volume of 290,674 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,021,591. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 0.25 and a quick ratio of 0.25. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.95 billion, a PE ratio of 4.82, a PEG ratio of 2.99 and a beta of 1.17. The stock's 50 day moving average is $36.87 and its 200 day moving average is $37.55. Lincoln National has a twelve month low of $32.18 and a twelve month high of $46.82.

Lincoln National (NYSE:LNC - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The financial services provider reported $1.66 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.58 by $0.08. Lincoln National had a net margin of 9.17% and a return on equity of 18.07%. The business had revenue of $4.87 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.93 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.60 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was up 13.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts forecast that Lincoln National will post 7.73 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Lincoln National

In other news, EVP Craigt T. Beazer sold 30,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $34.45, for a total transaction of $1,033,500.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 103,906 shares in the company, valued at $3,579,561.70. The trade was a 22.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 1.03% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Lincoln National

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Bain Capital Prairie LLC purchased a new position in Lincoln National in the fourth quarter worth $835,360,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its position in shares of Lincoln National by 24.4% during the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 7,755,506 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $275,304,000 after acquiring an additional 1,522,179 shares during the period. State Street Corp lifted its position in shares of Lincoln National by 0.7% during the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 6,199,526 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $214,504,000 after acquiring an additional 40,676 shares during the period. Jennison Associates LLC boosted its stake in shares of 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 worth $135,722,000 after acquiring an additional 141,994 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Lincoln National by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,959,195 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $131,801,000 after acquiring an additional 14,842 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 72.81% 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.

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