Barclays Cuts Lincoln National (NYSE:LNC) Price Target to $44.00

Lincoln National (NYSE:LNC) had its price objective lowered by Barclays from $45.00 to $44.00 in a research report released on Wednesday morning,Benzinga reports. Barclays currently has an equal weight rating on the financial services provider’s stock.

Several other analysts have also recently commented on LNC. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on Lincoln National from $50.00 to $46.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 3rd. National Bank Financial set a $45.00 price target on Lincoln National in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Wells Fargo & Company raised Lincoln National from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their price target for the stock from $41.00 to $48.00 in a research note on Wednesday, February 25th. Mizuho initiated coverage on Lincoln National in a report on Tuesday, December 16th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $52.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Zacks Research cut shares of Lincoln National from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 4th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Lincoln National currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $45.46.

Lincoln National Trading Up 0.2%

Lincoln National stock opened at $32.64 on Wednesday. Lincoln National has a 52-week low of $27.58 and a 52-week high of $46.82. The company has a quick ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 0.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 6.15, a PEG ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 1.30. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $39.32 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $40.89.

Lincoln National (NYSE:LNC) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The financial services provider reported $2.21 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.86 by $0.35. The company had revenue of $4.89 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.85 billion. Lincoln National had a net margin of 6.46% and a return on equity of 18.52%. Lincoln National’s revenue was down 2.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.91 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts expect that Lincoln National will post 7.69 earnings per share for the current year.

Lincoln National Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 10th will be given a $0.45 dividend. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.5%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 10th. Lincoln National’s dividend payout ratio is 33.90%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Lincoln National

In other news, EVP Sean Woodroffe sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $34.46, for a total value of $344,600.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 206,159 shares in the company, valued at $7,104,239.14. This represents a 4.63% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP James Waltman Reid sold 3,050 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $41.81, for a total value of $127,520.50. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 118,567 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,957,286.27. This represents a 2.51% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 21,050 shares of company stock valued at $734,041. 0.51% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lincoln National

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of LNC. V Square Quantitative Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Lincoln National during the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Lincoln National in the 4th quarter worth approximately $32,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Lincoln National in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $29,000. Salomon & Ludwin LLC acquired a new stake in Lincoln National during the third quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Finally, Advisors Asset Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Lincoln National during the second quarter valued at approximately $28,000. 72.81% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.