Lincoln National (NYSE:LNC) Stock Price Expected to Rise, Morgan Stanley Analyst Says

Key Points

• Morgan Stanley has raised its price objective for Lincoln National to $41.00, suggesting a potential upside of 1.93% from the stock's previous close.
• Lincoln National reported $2.36 EPS for the last quarter, surpassing the consensus estimate of $1.91, despite revenue falling short of expectations.
• Insider activity shows notable selling, with executives Sean Woodroffe and John Christopher Kennedy reducing their holdings, signaling potential concerns among company leadership.

Lincoln National (NYSE:LNC - Get Free Report) had its price objective raised by research analysts at Morgan Stanley from $38.00 to $41.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Monday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an "equal weight" rating on the financial services provider's stock. Morgan Stanley's price target would indicate a potential upside of 1.93% from the stock's previous close.

LNC has been the subject of several other research reports. Cfra Research raised shares of Lincoln National to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 6th. 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. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price objective on shares of Lincoln National from $40.00 to $42.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a report on Monday, August 4th. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Lincoln National from $38.00 to $40.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday, May 9th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reissued a "positive" rating on shares of Lincoln National in a research report on Tuesday, August 5th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Lincoln National currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $39.56.

Lincoln National Trading Down 0.9%

Shares of LNC stock traded down $0.35 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $40.23. 41,215 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,968,917. The firm has a market cap of $7.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.02, a P/E/G ratio of 0.56 and a beta of 1.42. Lincoln National has a fifty-two week low of $27.58 and a fifty-two week high of $41.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67, a quick ratio of 0.26 and a current ratio of 0.26. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $35.22 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $34.68.

Lincoln National (NYSE:LNC - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The financial services provider reported $2.36 EPS 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 the consensus estimate 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 last year, the business posted $1.87 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Lincoln National will post 7.69 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Sean Woodroffe sold 43,622 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $32.78, for a total transaction of $1,429,929.16. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 154,102 shares in the company, valued at $5,051,463.56. This represents a 22.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP John Christopher Kennedy sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $39.29, for a total transaction of $196,450.00. Following the transaction, 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 58,697 shares of company stock worth $1,959,862 in the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.54% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Lincoln National

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Lincoln National during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $8,155,000. Mariner LLC boosted its stake in shares of Lincoln National by 2.0% during the fourth quarter. Mariner LLC now owns 28,934 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $917,000 after purchasing an additional 581 shares during the period. Guggenheim Capital LLC lifted its holdings in Lincoln National by 33.5% during the 4th quarter. Guggenheim Capital LLC now owns 14,356 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $455,000 after buying an additional 3,606 shares in the last quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Lincoln National by 11.4% during the 4th quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 44,820 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,421,000 after buying an additional 4,578 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board bought a new stake in Lincoln National during the 4th quarter valued at about $6,202,000. Institutional investors own 72.81% of the company's stock.

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.

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