Lincoln National Corporation (NYSE:LNC) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Hold” by Brokerages

Shares of Lincoln National Corporation (NYSE:LNC) have received an average recommendation of “Hold” from the fourteen analysts that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, eight have issued a hold recommendation and four have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $46.25.

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on LNC shares. UBS Group increased their target price on shares of Lincoln National from $42.00 to $43.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, October 31st. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “overweight” rating on shares of Lincoln National in a report on Monday, December 15th. Barclays boosted their target price on Lincoln National from $42.00 to $46.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Zacks Research downgraded Lincoln National from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 4th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Lincoln National in a report on Monday, December 29th.

Lincoln National Trading Down 1.4%

Shares of NYSE LNC opened at $40.93 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.28, a quick ratio of 0.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61. Lincoln National has a one year low of $27.58 and a one year high of $46.82. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $43.11 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $40.51. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.77 billion, a PE ratio of 3.67, a PEG ratio of 0.41 and a beta of 1.32.

Lincoln National (NYSE:LNC) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The financial services provider reported $2.04 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.84 by $0.20. The company had revenue of $4.56 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.80 billion. Lincoln National had a return on equity of 18.77% and a net margin of 11.49%.During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.06 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that Lincoln National will post 7.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lincoln National Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, February 2nd. Shareholders of record on Monday, January 12th will be given a $0.45 dividend. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, January 12th. Lincoln National’s payout ratio is currently 16.16%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Lincoln National

In other Lincoln National news, Director Owen Ryan bought 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 12th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $42.17 per share, with a total value of $84,340.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 12,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $506,040. This represents a 20.00% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP John Christopher Kennedy sold 3,519 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $44.15, for a total value of $155,363.85. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 118,985 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,253,187.75. This represents a 2.87% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Corporate insiders own 0.51% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Phillips Financial Management LLC boosted its position in Lincoln National by 1.2% during the third quarter. Phillips Financial Management LLC now owns 21,857 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $881,000 after purchasing an additional 254 shares during the period. Assetmark Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Lincoln National by 5.2% in the second quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 5,401 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $187,000 after buying an additional 268 shares during the last quarter. Evergreen Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Lincoln National by 3.2% in the second quarter. Evergreen Capital Management LLC now owns 8,815 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $305,000 after buying an additional 275 shares during the last quarter. Xponance Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Lincoln National by 3.3% during the 3rd quarter. Xponance Inc. now owns 8,979 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $362,000 after buying an additional 286 shares during the period. Finally, Signaturefd LLC grew its stake in Lincoln National by 1.7% in the 3rd quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 17,927 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $723,000 after buying an additional 297 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 72.81% of the company’s stock.

About Lincoln National

Lincoln National Corporation, doing business as Lincoln Financial Group, is a diversified financial services holding company focused on providing retirement, insurance, and wealth management solutions in the United States and select international markets. Headquartered in Radnor, Pennsylvania, the company operates through several business segments, including Retirement Plan Services, Life Insurance, and Group Protection. Its offerings are designed to help individuals, families, and institutions plan and prepare for their financial futures.

The Retirement Plan Services segment delivers recordkeeping, administrative services, and investment management for defined contribution and defined benefit plans.