Lincoln National Corporation (NYSE:LNC) Receives $39.70 Average Target Price from Brokerages

Key Points

• Lincoln National Corporation has received an average consensus rating of "Hold" from ten brokerage firms, with one sell rating, eight holds, and one buy rating.
• The company's recent quarterly earnings topped analysts' expectations, reporting $2.36 earnings per share against a consensus estimate of $1.91, although revenue fell short of projections.
• A quarterly dividend of $0.45 has been announced, representing a 4.3% dividend yield, with the payment date set for November 3rd to investors of record by October 10th.

Lincoln National Corporation (NYSE:LNC - Get Free Report) has been assigned a consensus recommendation of "Hold" from the ten ratings firms that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, eight have issued a hold recommendation and one has issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 1 year price objective among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $39.70.

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on LNC shares. Wall Street Zen upgraded Lincoln National from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, August 2nd. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on Lincoln National from $38.00 to $41.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Monday, August 18th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price objective on Lincoln National from $40.00 to $42.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a report on Monday, August 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on Lincoln National from $38.00 to $41.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 8th. Finally, National Bankshares set a $41.00 price objective on Lincoln National in a report on Monday, August 18th.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Lincoln National news, EVP John Christopher Kennedy sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $39.29, for a total value of $196,450.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 123,815 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,864,691.35. This trade represents a 3.88% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.54% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lincoln National

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC lifted its holdings in Lincoln National by 22.2% in the 1st quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 184,957 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $6,642,000 after buying an additional 33,644 shares during the period. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC raised its position in shares of Lincoln National by 34.1% in the 1st quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 204,010 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $7,346,000 after acquiring an additional 51,823 shares in the last quarter. Integrated Advisors Network LLC bought a new position in shares of Lincoln National in the 1st quarter worth approximately $293,000. DMC Group LLC raised its position in shares of Lincoln National by 47.1% in the 1st quarter. DMC Group LLC now owns 25,749 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $925,000 after acquiring an additional 8,250 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Smith Salley Wealth Management bought a new position in shares of Lincoln National in the 1st quarter worth approximately $268,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 72.81% of the company's stock.

Lincoln National Trading Up 0.0%

LNC stock traded up $0.01 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $42.16. 1,399,610 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,567,426. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.99 billion, a PE ratio of 7.36, a P/E/G ratio of 0.57 and a beta of 1.48. Lincoln National has a 1 year low of $27.58 and a 1 year high of $43.66. The company has a 50-day moving average of $38.57 and a 200-day moving average of $35.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67, a quick ratio of 0.26 and a current ratio of 0.26.

Lincoln National (NYSE:LNC - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The financial services provider reported $2.36 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.91 by $0.45. The company had revenue of $4.04 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.65 billion. Lincoln National had a return on equity of 19.14% and a net margin of 6.34%.During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.87 EPS. Analysts predict that Lincoln National will post 7.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lincoln National Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 3rd. Shareholders of record on Friday, October 10th will be issued a $0.45 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, October 10th. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.3%. Lincoln National's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 31.41%.

Lincoln National Company Profile

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.