Lincoln National (NYSE:LNC) Rating Increased to Hold at Wall Street Zen

Lincoln National (NYSE:LNC - Get Free Report) was upgraded by stock analysts at Wall Street Zen from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a note issued to investors on Saturday.

Other equities analysts have also issued reports about the company. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on Lincoln National from $32.00 to $38.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Monday, May 19th. Evercore ISI boosted their price target on Lincoln National from $41.00 to $44.00 and gave the company an "in-line" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on Lincoln National from $36.00 to $31.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 10th. UBS Group upped their price objective on Lincoln National from $32.00 to $38.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 2nd. Finally, Piper Sandler reduced their price target on Lincoln National from $38.00 to $36.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 9th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Lincoln National has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $36.82.

Lincoln National Price Performance

Lincoln National stock opened at $33.44 on Friday. Lincoln National has a one year low of $27.58 and a one year high of $39.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a current ratio of 0.27. The business has a fifty day moving average of $32.32 and a two-hundred day moving average of $33.91. The company has a market cap of $5.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 1.82, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.30 and a beta of 1.42.

Lincoln National (NYSE:LNC - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 8th. The financial services provider reported $1.60 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.54 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $4.69 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.71 billion. Lincoln National had a return on equity of 18.47% and a net margin of 17.76%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 14.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.41 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that Lincoln National will post 7.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Lincoln National

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lincoln National

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Strs Ohio bought a new position in shares of Lincoln National in the 1st quarter valued at $1,900,000. Advisors Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in Lincoln National by 2.0% in the first quarter. Advisors Capital Management LLC now owns 541,592 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $19,449,000 after purchasing an additional 10,569 shares during the period. Focus Partners Wealth increased its holdings in Lincoln National by 39.1% in 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 during the period. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC increased its holdings 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 valued at $22,383,000 after purchasing an additional 29,421 shares during the period. Finally, Woodline Partners LP acquired a new stake in Lincoln National in the first quarter valued at $5,963,000. 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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