Lincoln National Corporation (NYSE:LNC) Receives Average Recommendation of "Hold" from Brokerages

Key Points

• Wall Street sentiment is mixed on Lincoln National, with an average analyst rating of “Hold” from 16 research firms and a consensus 12-month price target of $43.00.
• The company reported better-than-expected quarterly earnings, posting $1.66 EPS versus the $1.58 estimate, while revenue rose 13.1% year over year to $4.87 billion.
• Lincoln National also announced a quarterly dividend of $0.45 per share, equal to an annualized yield of about 4.9%, payable on August 3 to shareholders of record on July 10.

Shares of Lincoln National Corporation (NYSE:LNC - Get Free Report) have received an average recommendation of "Hold" from the sixteen research firms that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $43.00.

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. Barclays cut their price objective on Lincoln National from $44.00 to $42.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 8th. TD Cowen cut their price objective on Lincoln National from $43.00 to $38.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, March 9th. Bank of America cut their price objective on Lincoln National from $41.00 to $37.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 14th. Mizuho cut their price objective on Lincoln National from $54.00 to $48.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 13th. Finally, Weiss Ratings downgraded Lincoln National from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a research report on Monday, May 11th.

Insider Activity at Lincoln National

In other news, EVP Craigt T. Beazer sold 30,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, June 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $34.45, for a total transaction of $1,033,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 103,906 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,579,561.70. This represents a 22.40% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 1.03% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Lincoln National

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in LNC. Baird Financial Group Inc. acquired a new stake in Lincoln National during the 1st quarter valued at $241,000. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. increased its stake in shares of Lincoln National by 30.9% in 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 acquiring an additional 16,991 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC increased its stake in shares of Lincoln National by 316.9% in the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 59,115 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $2,123,000 after acquiring an additional 44,936 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC increased its stake in shares of Lincoln National by 5.0% in 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 acquiring an additional 29,421 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Focus Partners Wealth increased 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 worth $701,000 after acquiring an additional 5,486 shares during the last quarter. 72.81% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Lincoln National Stock Performance

LNC opened at $36.58 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $6.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 4.24, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.32 and a beta of 1.17. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 0.25 and a quick ratio of 0.25. Lincoln National has a 1-year low of $31.69 and a 1-year high of $46.82. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $35.63 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $38.60.

Lincoln National (NYSE:LNC - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 return on equity of 18.07% and a net margin of 9.17%.The company had revenue of $4.87 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.93 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.60 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was up 13.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts predict that Lincoln National will post 7.72 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lincoln National Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 3rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 10th will be given a dividend of $0.45 per share. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.9%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 10th. Lincoln National's dividend payout ratio is 20.88%.

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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