Lincoln National (NYSE:LNC) Price Target Raised to $46.00 at Barclays

Key Points

• Barclays raised its price target for Lincoln National (NYSE:LNC) from $42.00 to $46.00, indicating a potential upside of 14.27% from its current price.
• The company's recent quarterly earnings surpassed analysts' expectations, reporting $2.36 EPS, which is $0.45 above the consensus estimate of $1.91.
• Lincoln National's stock has been rated a mix of "Buy," "Hold," and "Sell," with a current consensus rating of "Reduce" and an average price target of $42.82 among analysts.

Lincoln National (NYSE:LNC - Get Free Report) had its price objective increased by stock analysts at Barclays from $42.00 to $46.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has an "equal weight" rating on the financial services provider's stock. Barclays's price target suggests a potential upside of 14.27% from the stock's current price.

LNC has been the topic of a number of other research reports. Piper Sandler restated a "neutral" rating and set a $42.00 price objective on shares of Lincoln National in a research report on Tuesday. Weiss Ratings restated a "hold (c+)" rating on shares of Lincoln National in a research report on Saturday, September 27th. National Bankshares set a $53.00 price target on Lincoln National in a research report on Tuesday. Wall Street Zen upgraded Lincoln National from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, August 2nd. Finally, Wolfe Research upgraded Lincoln National to a "strong sell" rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 16th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Lincoln National currently has a consensus rating of "Reduce" and an average price target of $42.82.

Lincoln National Price Performance

Shares of Lincoln National stock traded up $0.20 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $40.26. 186,429 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,939,900. 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 has a 1-year low of $27.58 and a 1-year high of $43.66. The company has a market cap of $7.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.02, a PEG ratio of 0.54 and a beta of 1.43. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $40.58 and its 200 day moving average price is $35.84.

Lincoln National (NYSE:LNC - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The financial services provider reported $2.36 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.91 by $0.45. Lincoln National had a return on equity of 19.14% and a net margin of 6.34%.The company had revenue of $4.04 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.65 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.87 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Lincoln National will post 7.69 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at Lincoln National

In related news, EVP John Christopher Kennedy sold 5,000 shares of Lincoln National stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $39.29, for a total transaction of $196,450.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 123,815 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,864,691.35. This trade represents a 3.88% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 0.54% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Lincoln National

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of LNC. Hollencrest Capital Management increased its position in Lincoln National by 383.2% in the first quarter. Hollencrest Capital Management now owns 749 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 594 shares during the last quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Lincoln National in the second quarter worth $28,000. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC purchased a new stake in Lincoln National in the second quarter worth $29,000. NBC Securities Inc. purchased a new stake in Lincoln National in the first quarter worth $33,000. Finally, Brooklyn Investment Group increased its position in Lincoln National by 82.9% in the first quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 1,156 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $42,000 after buying an additional 524 shares during the last quarter. 72.81% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.

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