Weiss Ratings Reaffirms Hold (C+) Rating for Lincoln National (NYSE:LNC)

Key Points

• Weiss Ratings has reaffirmed a "Hold (C+)" rating for Lincoln National (NYSE:LNC), amidst varied ratings from other analysts, with most suggesting a neutral to selling position.
• Lincoln National's stock opened at $39.86, with a 52-week range of $27.58 to $43.66, and a consensus price target of $42.82 according to MarketBeat.
• For the last quarter, Lincoln National reported earnings of $2.36 per share, exceeding expectations, although revenues fell short of consensus estimates.

Lincoln National (NYSE:LNC - Get Free Report)'s stock had its "hold (c+)" rating restated by research analysts at Weiss Ratings in a research report issued to clients and investors on Wednesday,Weiss Ratings reports.

A number of other equities research analysts also recently weighed in on the company. Piper Sandler reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and issued a $42.00 target price on shares of Lincoln National in a report on Tuesday. Wolfe Research upgraded Lincoln National to a "strong sell" rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 16th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on Lincoln National from $58.00 to $53.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Lincoln National from $37.00 to $38.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, National Bankshares set a $53.00 price target on Lincoln National in a research note on Tuesday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Reduce" and a consensus price target of $42.82.

Lincoln National Trading Down 0.5%

Shares of LNC stock opened at $39.86 on Wednesday. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $40.69 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $35.87. The company has a market cap of $7.56 billion, a PE ratio of 6.96, a P/E/G ratio of 0.53 and a beta of 1.43. Lincoln National has a fifty-two week low of $27.58 and a fifty-two week high of $43.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67, a quick ratio of 0.26 and a current ratio of 0.26.

Lincoln National (NYSE:LNC - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The financial services provider reported $2.36 earnings per share 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 return on equity of 19.14% and a net margin of 6.34%.During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.87 EPS. Equities analysts predict that Lincoln National will post 7.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Lincoln National

In related news, EVP John Christopher Kennedy sold 5,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $39.29, for a total transaction of $196,450.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 123,815 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,864,691.35. This trade represents a 3.88% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.51% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. State Street Corp raised its position in Lincoln National by 0.7% during the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 6,199,526 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $214,504,000 after purchasing an additional 40,676 shares during the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA raised its position in shares of Lincoln National by 1.3% in the 2nd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 4,916,661 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $170,116,000 after acquiring an additional 61,873 shares in the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP raised its position in shares of Lincoln National by 20.0% in the 2nd quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 4,645,447 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $160,732,000 after acquiring an additional 774,721 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its position in shares of Lincoln National by 7.2% in the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 3,084,433 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $110,753,000 after acquiring an additional 208,114 shares in the last quarter. Finally, LSV Asset Management raised its position in shares of Lincoln National by 16.9% in the 2nd quarter. LSV Asset Management now owns 2,736,180 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $94,672,000 after acquiring an additional 394,584 shares in the last quarter. 72.81% of the stock is 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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