Lincoln National Co. (NYSE:LNC) Given Average Rating of "Hold" by Brokerages

Shares of Lincoln National Co. (NYSE:LNC - Get Free Report) have been assigned a consensus recommendation of "Hold" from the eleven brokerages that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price target among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $35.91.

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on shares of Lincoln National from $42.00 to $32.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 10th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their price target on Lincoln National from $40.00 to $38.00 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. Evercore ISI boosted their price objective on Lincoln National from $41.00 to $44.00 and gave the company an "in-line" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on Lincoln National from $36.00 to $31.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 10th. Finally, Barclays boosted their price target on shares of Lincoln National from $36.00 to $38.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday, February 7th.

Lincoln National Stock Up 3.1 %

Shares of LNC opened at $34.02 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $5.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 1.85, a PEG ratio of 0.30 and a beta of 1.42. Lincoln National has a 52 week low of $27.58 and a 52 week high of $39.85. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $33.53 and its 200-day moving average price is $34.01. The company has a quick ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 0.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80.

Lincoln National (NYSE:LNC - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The financial services provider reported $1.91 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.87 by $0.04. Lincoln National had a return on equity of 18.47% and a net margin of 17.76%. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Lincoln National will post 7.69 EPS for the current year.

Lincoln National Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 1st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 10th were paid a $0.45 dividend. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.29%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, April 10th. Lincoln National's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 9.79%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lincoln National

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. HighPoint Advisor Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Lincoln National by 3.2% in the fourth quarter. HighPoint Advisor Group LLC now owns 8,460 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $268,000 after acquiring an additional 262 shares during the period. Forvis Mazars Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in Lincoln National by 3.1% in the 4th quarter. Forvis Mazars Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 11,199 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $355,000 after purchasing an additional 338 shares during the last quarter. Roman Butler Fullerton & Co. grew its position in Lincoln National by 5.5% during the 4th quarter. Roman Butler Fullerton & Co. now owns 6,610 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $224,000 after purchasing an additional 343 shares during the last quarter. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Lincoln National by 30.4% during the fourth quarter. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,500 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $48,000 after buying an additional 350 shares during the period. Finally, SYM FINANCIAL Corp increased its position in Lincoln National by 5.9% in the 1st quarter. SYM FINANCIAL Corp now owns 7,154 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $257,000 after acquiring an additional 400 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 72.81% of the company's stock.

About Lincoln National

Lincoln National Corporation, through its subsidiaries, operates multiple insurance and retirement businesses in the United States. It operates in four segments: Life Insurance, Annuities, Group Protection, and Retirement Plan Services. The Life Insurance segment provides life insurance products, including term insurance, universal life insurance (UL), indexed universal life insurance, variable universal life insurance (VUL), linked-benefit UL and VUL products, and critical illness and long-term care riders.

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