Lincoln National Corporation (NYSE:LNC) Given Consensus Recommendation of "Hold" by Brokerages

Key Points

• Analysts give Lincoln National a consensus rating of "Hold" from 16 firms (2 sell, 8 hold, 6 buy) with an average 12‑month price target of $43.79, and several banks have recently trimmed their targets.
• Major shareholder National Life Insurance purchased 2,254,486 shares (a 29.94% increase), while insiders have sold modestly; institutional investors now own 72.81% of the stock.
• Lincoln beat the quarter with $2.21 EPS (vs. $1.86 est.) and announced a quarterly dividend of $0.45 (annualized $1.80) yielding 4.9%, with an ex‑dividend date of April 10 and payment on May 1.

Shares of Lincoln National Corporation (NYSE:LNC - Get Free Report) have been assigned an average rating of "Hold" from the sixteen ratings firms that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12 month price target among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $43.7857.

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on LNC shares. Mizuho lowered their price target on shares of Lincoln National from $54.00 to $48.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 13th. Bank of America reduced their target price on shares of Lincoln National from $41.00 to $37.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 14th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reiterated a "moderate buy" rating and issued a $43.00 target price on shares of Lincoln National in a report on Thursday, March 26th. UBS Group cut their price target on shares of Lincoln National from $43.00 to $37.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 9th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "buy (b-)" rating on shares of Lincoln National in a research report on Friday, March 27th.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Lincoln National news, EVP James Waltman Reid sold 3,050 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $41.81, for a total transaction of $127,520.50. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 118,567 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,957,286.27. This trade represents a 2.51% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, major shareholder National Life Insuranc Lincoln bought 2,254,486 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 25th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $11.09 per share, with a total value of $25,002,249.74. Following the purchase, the insider owned 9,784,322 shares of the company's stock, valued at $108,508,130.98. The trade was a 29.94% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 21,050 shares of company stock valued at $734,041 over the last quarter. 0.51% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lincoln National

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in LNC. Baird Financial Group Inc. acquired a new stake in Lincoln National in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $241,000. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. lifted its stake in Lincoln National by 30.9% during the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 71,981 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $2,585,000 after purchasing an additional 16,991 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC boosted its position in shares of Lincoln National by 316.9% during the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 59,115 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $2,123,000 after buying an additional 44,936 shares during the period. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC boosted its position in shares of Lincoln National by 5.0% during the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 623,322 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $22,383,000 after buying an additional 29,421 shares during the period. Finally, Focus Partners Wealth grew its stake in shares of Lincoln National by 39.1% in the first quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 19,530 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $701,000 after buying an additional 5,486 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 72.81% of the company's stock.

Lincoln National Price Performance

NYSE:LNC opened at $36.78 on Thursday. Lincoln National has a one year low of $30.53 and a one year high of $46.82. The stock has a market cap of $7.03 billion, a PE ratio of 6.93, a P/E/G ratio of 2.33 and a beta of 1.23. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a current ratio of 0.27. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $35.74 and a 200 day moving average price of $39.66.

Lincoln National (NYSE:LNC - Get Free Report) last issued 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. Lincoln National had a return on equity of 18.52% and a net margin of 6.46%.The company had revenue of $4.89 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.85 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.91 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was down 2.8% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts expect that Lincoln National will post 7.79 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lincoln National Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 10th will be paid a dividend of $0.45 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 10th. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.9%. Lincoln National's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 33.90%.

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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