Lincoln National (NYSE:LNC) Reaches New 1-Year Low - Should You Sell?

Lincoln National Co. (NYSE:LNC - Get Free Report) reached a new 52-week low on Wednesday . The company traded as low as $31.08 and last traded at $31.81, with a volume of 2001800 shares. The stock had previously closed at $32.59.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently commented on LNC. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on shares of Lincoln National from $42.00 to $32.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 10th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their target price on Lincoln National from $40.00 to $38.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on shares of Lincoln National from $36.00 to $31.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 10th. Evercore ISI raised their price objective on Lincoln National from $41.00 to $44.00 and gave the company an "in-line" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. Finally, Barclays lifted their price target on Lincoln National from $36.00 to $38.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $35.91.

Lincoln National Price Performance

The company has a market cap of $5.65 billion, a PE ratio of 1.80, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.30 and a beta of 1.42. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $33.81 and a 200-day moving average of $34.01. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a current ratio of 0.27.

Lincoln National (NYSE:LNC - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The financial services provider reported $1.91 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.87 by $0.04. Lincoln National had a return on equity of 18.47% and a net margin of 17.76%. Equities analysts predict that Lincoln National Co. will post 7.69 earnings per share for the current year.

Lincoln National Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 1st. Investors of record on Thursday, April 10th were paid a dividend of $0.45 per share. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.44%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, April 10th. Lincoln National's dividend payout ratio is currently 9.79%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Lincoln National

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. M Holdings Securities Inc. acquired a new stake in Lincoln National during the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Kapitalo Investimentos Ltda acquired a new stake in shares of Lincoln National during the 4th quarter worth approximately $32,000. NBC Securities Inc. acquired a new position in Lincoln National during the 1st quarter valued at about $33,000. Headlands Technologies LLC bought a new position in shares of Lincoln National in the fourth quarter worth $35,000. Finally, SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of Lincoln National during the 4th quarter worth about $36,000. 72.81% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Lincoln National

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.