Renaissance Technologies LLC Lowers Stock Holdings in Lincoln National Co. (NYSE:LNC)

Renaissance Technologies LLC trimmed its position in Lincoln National Co. (NYSE:LNC - Free Report) by 6.7% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 264,874 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 19,000 shares during the period. Renaissance Technologies LLC owned approximately 0.16% of Lincoln National worth $8,399,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd increased its position in Lincoln National by 182.2% in the 4th quarter. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd now owns 1,250 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $40,000 after buying an additional 807 shares in the last quarter. Waterloo Capital L.P. raised its stake in shares of Lincoln National by 5.4% in the fourth quarter. Waterloo Capital L.P. now owns 102,679 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $3,256,000 after purchasing an additional 5,230 shares during the last quarter. Grantham Mayo Van Otterloo & Co. LLC raised its stake in shares of Lincoln National by 16.3% in the fourth quarter. Grantham Mayo Van Otterloo & Co. LLC now owns 16,979 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $538,000 after purchasing an additional 2,385 shares during the last quarter. Unison Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Lincoln National by 1.4% in the fourth quarter. Unison Advisors LLC now owns 64,193 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $2,036,000 after purchasing an additional 865 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Allen Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Lincoln National by 8.6% in the fourth quarter. Allen Wealth Management LLC now owns 56,693 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,798,000 after purchasing an additional 4,494 shares during the last quarter. 72.81% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Lincoln National Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:LNC traded up $1.40 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $31.73. 260,548 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,614,510. The company has a market cap of $5.42 billion, a PE ratio of 1.73, a P/E/G ratio of 0.30 and a beta of 1.56. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $34.84 and a 200 day moving average of $34.03. Lincoln National Co. has a 52-week low of $25.80 and a 52-week high of $39.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 0.27 and a quick ratio of 0.27.

Lincoln National (NYSE:LNC - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The financial services provider reported $1.91 earnings per share (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%. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Lincoln National Co. will post 7.69 EPS for the current year.

Lincoln National Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 1st. Investors of record on Thursday, April 10th will be given a $0.45 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 10th. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.67%. Lincoln National's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 9.79%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have recently commented on the company. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their price objective 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. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on Lincoln National from $42.00 to $32.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 10th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on Lincoln National from $36.00 to $31.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 10th. Barclays upped their target price on Lincoln National from $36.00 to $38.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, UBS Group upped their target price on Lincoln National from $32.00 to $38.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 2nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $35.91.

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.