Lincoln National Corporation (NYSE:LNC) Plans Quarterly Dividend of $0.45

Key Points

• Lincoln National declared a quarterly dividend of $0.45 per share (record date April 10, payable May 1), implying a $1.80 annualized payout and a 5.2% yield.
• The company beat quarterly EPS estimates ($2.21 vs. $1.86) and trades at a low PE of 6.57, with a payout ratio of 23.3% (expected to fall to ~21.6%), indicating the dividend is comfortably covered by earnings.
• Insiders sold a total of 21,050 shares in the past three months while institutional investors own 72.81% of the stock, led by Vanguard's ~19.9 million‑share position.

Lincoln National Corporation (NYSE:LNC - Get Free Report) declared a quarterly dividend on Thursday, February 12th. Investors of record on Friday, April 10th will be given a dividend of 0.45 per share by the financial services provider on Friday, May 1st. This represents a c) annualized dividend and a yield of 5.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 10th.

Lincoln National has raised its dividend payment by an average of 0.0%per year over the last three years. Lincoln National has a payout ratio of 23.3% indicating that its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Research analysts expect Lincoln National to earn $8.35 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $1.80 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 21.6%.

Lincoln National Stock Performance

NYSE LNC opened at $34.88 on Wednesday. The business's 50-day moving average price is $36.75 and its 200 day moving average price is $40.02. Lincoln National has a twelve month low of $28.23 and a twelve month high of $46.82. The company has a market capitalization of $6.63 billion, a PE ratio of 6.57, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 1.23. 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 released its earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The financial services provider reported $2.21 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 firm had revenue of $4.89 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.85 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.91 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was down 2.8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts predict that Lincoln National will post 7.69 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Lincoln National

In other news, EVP James Waltman Reid sold 3,050 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $41.81, for a total value of $127,520.50. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 118,567 shares in the company, valued at $4,957,286.27. This trade represents a 2.51% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Sean Woodroffe sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $34.46, for a total value of $344,600.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 206,159 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,104,239.14. This trade represents a 4.63% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 21,050 shares of company stock worth $734,041 in the last three months. 0.54% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lincoln National

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Lincoln National by 6.3% in the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 19,903,720 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $802,717,000 after buying an additional 1,183,934 shares in the last quarter. Bain Capital Prairie LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Lincoln National in the fourth quarter valued at about $835,360,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its stake in shares of Lincoln National by 8.8% in the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 6,233,327 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $277,574,000 after buying an additional 502,600 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp grew its stake in shares of Lincoln National by 0.7% in the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 6,199,526 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $214,504,000 after buying an additional 40,676 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its stake in shares of Lincoln National by 21.1% in the third quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 5,952,166 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $240,051,000 after buying an additional 1,035,505 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 72.81% of the company's stock.

About Lincoln National

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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