Wells Fargo & Company Issues Positive Forecast for Lincoln National (NYSE:LNC) Stock Price

Key Points

• Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target for Lincoln National from $35.00 to $37.00, indicating a potential downside of 2.93% from its previous close, while maintaining an "equal weight" rating.
• In the recent earnings report, Lincoln National posted an EPS of $2.36, exceeding analysts' expectations of $1.91, although revenue fell short at $4.04 billion compared to the $4.65 billion forecast.
• Lincoln National's stock is currently rated as a "Hold" by most analysts, with a consensus price target of $39.22.

Lincoln National (NYSE:LNC - Get Free Report) had its target price increased by research analysts at Wells Fargo & Company from $35.00 to $37.00 in a research note issued on Tuesday, August 5th, MarketBeat reports. The brokerage presently has an "equal weight" rating on the financial services provider's stock. Wells Fargo & Company's price objective would indicate a potential downside of 3.26% from the stock's current price.

Other equities analysts have also recently issued research reports about the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price objective on shares of Lincoln National from $40.00 to $42.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research note on Monday, August 4th. Piper Sandler lowered their price objective on shares of Lincoln National from $38.00 to $36.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 9th. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on shares of Lincoln National from $32.00 to $38.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Monday, May 19th. Barclays increased their price objective on shares of Lincoln National from $38.00 to $40.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Friday, May 9th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of Lincoln National from $38.00 to $41.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 8th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $39.22.

Lincoln National Stock Up 0.2%

NYSE:LNC opened at $38.25 on Tuesday. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $34.63 and its 200-day moving average price is $34.52. The company has a market capitalization of $7.25 billion, a PE ratio of 6.68, a P/E/G ratio of 0.53 and a beta of 1.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67, a current ratio of 0.26 and a quick ratio of 0.26. Lincoln National has a 1-year low of $27.58 and a 1-year high of $39.85.

Lincoln National (NYSE:LNC - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The financial services provider reported $2.36 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.91 by $0.45. The firm had revenue of $4.04 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.65 billion. Lincoln National had a net margin of 6.34% and a return on equity of 19.14%. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.87 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that Lincoln National will post 7.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP John Christopher Kennedy sold 5,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $39.29, for a total value of $196,450.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 123,815 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,864,691.35. The trade was a 3.88% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Brian Kroll sold 10,075 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $33.10, for a total transaction of $333,482.50. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 48,743 shares in the company, valued at $1,613,393.30. This represents a 17.13% 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 over the last quarter. Insiders own 0.54% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lincoln National

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of LNC. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC boosted its stake in Lincoln National by 22.2% during the first quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 184,957 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $6,642,000 after buying an additional 33,644 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its stake in Lincoln National by 14.4% during the fourth quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 330,755 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $10,488,000 after buying an additional 41,533 shares during the period. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC boosted its stake in Lincoln National by 34.1% during the first quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 204,010 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $7,346,000 after buying an additional 51,823 shares during the period. Integrated Advisors Network LLC purchased a new position in Lincoln National during the first quarter worth $293,000. Finally, DMC Group LLC boosted its stake in Lincoln National by 47.1% during the first quarter. DMC Group LLC now owns 25,749 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $925,000 after buying an additional 8,250 shares during the period. Institutional investors 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.