Lincoln National (NYSE:LNC) Cut to "Sell" at Wall Street Zen

Lincoln National (NYSE:LNC - Get Free Report) was downgraded by Wall Street Zen from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report issued on Sunday.

LNC has been the subject of several other reports. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of Lincoln National from $38.00 to $40.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Friday, May 9th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on shares of Lincoln National from $36.00 to $31.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 10th. UBS Group raised their price objective on shares of Lincoln National from $32.00 to $38.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 2nd. Piper Sandler cut their price objective on shares of Lincoln National from $38.00 to $36.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 9th. Finally, Evercore ISI raised their target price on shares of Lincoln National from $41.00 to $44.00 and gave the stock an "in-line" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $36.82.

Lincoln National Price Performance

Shares of NYSE LNC opened at $32.43 on Friday. Lincoln National has a 1 year low of $27.58 and a 1 year high of $39.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 0.27 and a quick ratio of 0.27. The company's 50-day moving average is $32.45 and its 200 day moving average is $33.83. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.54 billion, a P/E ratio of 1.76, a P/E/G ratio of 0.30 and a beta of 1.40.

Lincoln National (NYSE:LNC - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, May 8th. The financial services provider reported $1.60 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.54 by $0.06. Lincoln National had a net margin of 17.76% and a return on equity of 18.47%. The firm had revenue of $4.69 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.71 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.41 earnings per share. Lincoln National's revenue for the quarter was up 14.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Lincoln National will post 7.69 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Brian Kroll sold 10,075 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $33.10, for a total value of $333,482.50. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 48,743 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,613,393.30. The trade was a 17.13% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Sean Woodroffe sold 43,622 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $32.78, for a total value of $1,429,929.16. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 154,102 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,051,463.56. This trade represents a 22.06% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.51% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Lincoln National

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Strs Ohio purchased a new position in shares of Lincoln National during the first quarter valued at approximately $1,900,000. Advisors Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Lincoln National by 2.0% in the 1st quarter. Advisors Capital Management LLC now owns 541,592 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $19,449,000 after purchasing an additional 10,569 shares in the last quarter. Focus Partners Wealth grew its position in Lincoln National by 39.1% during the first quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 19,530 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $701,000 after purchasing an additional 5,486 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC grew its position in 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Woodline Partners LP acquired a new position in Lincoln National during the 1st quarter valued at $5,963,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 72.81% of the company's stock.

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.