Lincoln National Corporation (NYSE:LNC) Receives Consensus Rating of "Hold" from Analysts

Key Points

• Lincoln National has a consensus analyst rating of “Hold” from 16 brokerages, with an average 1-year price target of about $43.21. Recent calls were mixed, including upgrades from Barclays and Wells Fargo and a downgrade from Weiss Ratings.
• The stock rose 1.7% to $39.05, trading below its 52-week high of $46.82 but above its 52-week low of $32.18. The company also reported strong quarterly earnings of $1.66 EPS, beating estimates, while revenue came in slightly below expectations.
• Lincoln National announced a quarterly dividend of $0.45 per share, or $1.80 annually, for a yield of 4.6%. The payout ratio is low at 20.88%, and institutional investors continue to hold the majority of the stock.

Lincoln National Corporation (NYSE:LNC - Get Free Report) has been given an average rating of "Hold" by the sixteen brokerages that are covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, eight have issued a hold recommendation and six have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price target among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $43.2143.

Several analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Barclays upgraded Lincoln National from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and increased their price objective for the company from $42.00 to $45.00 in a research note on Monday. Weiss Ratings downgraded Lincoln National from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a report on Monday, May 11th. TD Cowen decreased their price objective on Lincoln National from $43.00 to $38.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, March 9th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on Lincoln National from $43.00 to $44.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 12th. Finally, National Bank Financial set a $40.00 target price on shares of Lincoln National in a research note on Thursday, May 21st.

Lincoln National Stock Up 1.7%

Shares of NYSE LNC traded up $0.66 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $39.05. The company's stock had a trading volume of 138,046 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,034,655. 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 $7.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 4.52, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.17. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $36.12 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $37.91. Lincoln National has a 1 year low of $32.18 and a 1 year high of $46.82.

Lincoln National (NYSE:LNC - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The financial services provider reported $1.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 company had revenue of $4.87 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.93 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.60 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 13.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts predict that Lincoln National will post 7.73 EPS for the current year.

Lincoln National Dividend Announcement

The company 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 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 10th. Lincoln National's payout ratio is 20.88%.

Insider Transactions at Lincoln National

In other news, EVP Craigt T. Beazer sold 30,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 103,906 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,579,561.70. This represents a 22.40% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 1.03% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of LNC. Bain Capital Prairie LLC acquired a new position in shares of Lincoln National during the fourth quarter worth about $835,360,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its holdings in shares of Lincoln National by 24.4% in the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 7,755,506 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $275,304,000 after acquiring an additional 1,522,179 shares during the period. State Street Corp increased its position 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. Jennison Associates LLC increased its holdings in 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 valued at $135,722,000 after acquiring an additional 141,994 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Lincoln National by 0.5% during 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 purchasing an additional 14,842 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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