Denali Advisors LLC Takes $665,000 Position in Lincoln National Corporation $LNC

Denali Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Lincoln National Corporation (NYSE:LNC) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 14,923 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $665,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Lincoln National by 6.3% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 19,903,720 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $802,717,000 after buying an additional 1,183,934 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted 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 valued at $214,504,000 after acquiring an additional 40,676 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lifted its position in Lincoln National by 21.1% during the 3rd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 5,952,166 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $240,051,000 after acquiring an additional 1,035,505 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its stake in Lincoln National by 25.3% during the third quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 5,730,727 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $231,121,000 after acquiring an additional 1,157,599 shares in the last quarter. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP grew its holdings in Lincoln National by 5.0% in the third quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 4,879,862 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $196,805,000 after purchasing an additional 234,415 shares during the period. 72.81% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reaffirmed a “moderate buy” rating and set a $43.00 target price on shares of Lincoln National in a research note on Thursday, March 26th. UBS Group dropped their price target on Lincoln National from $43.00 to $37.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on Lincoln National from $42.00 to $40.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Lincoln National in a research note on Friday, March 27th. Finally, Bank of America cut their target price on Lincoln National from $41.00 to $37.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 14th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $43.71.

Lincoln National Stock Performance

Shares of LNC opened at $35.78 on Friday. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $35.29 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $39.52. The company has a current ratio of 0.25, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65. Lincoln National Corporation has a 12 month low of $31.61 and a 12 month high of $46.82. The company has a market cap of $6.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 4.15, a P/E/G ratio of 2.28 and a beta of 1.20.

Lincoln National (NYSE:LNC) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The financial services provider reported $1.66 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.58 by $0.08. The firm had revenue of $4.87 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.93 billion. Lincoln National had a return on equity of 18.07% and a net margin of 9.17%.The company’s revenue was up 13.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.60 earnings per share. Research analysts anticipate that Lincoln National Corporation will post 7.73 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lincoln National Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 10th were given a $0.45 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, April 10th. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.0%. Lincoln National’s payout ratio is 33.90%.

Lincoln National News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Lincoln National this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Lincoln National reported Q1 adjusted EPS of $1.66, topping Wall Street estimates and showing improvement from the prior year, which supports the case for stronger underlying profitability. Lincoln National earnings report
• Positive Sentiment: Revenue rose 13.1% year over year to $4.87 billion, suggesting solid business growth despite a tougher market backdrop. Lincoln National earnings report
• Positive Sentiment: A new API integration with Centro Benefits Research should streamline RFP and quoting workflows, potentially improving efficiency and broker experience over time. Centro and Lincoln API integration announcement
• Neutral Sentiment: Several recaps described the quarter as a mix of earnings momentum and market headwinds, with profitability improving but not fully offsetting broader pressure on the business. TipRanks earnings call summary
• Negative Sentiment: JPMorgan lowered its price target on LNC to $40 and kept an underweight rating, which may be weighing on sentiment despite the earnings beat. Benzinga report on JPMorgan target cut
• Negative Sentiment: Lincoln National’s revenue came in slightly below consensus, and one headline noted the quarter as a loss despite stronger operating gains, highlighting the tension between top-line growth and profitability. TipRanks Q1 loss and operating gains summary

Insider Buying and Selling at Lincoln National

In other Lincoln National news, EVP Sean Woodroffe sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $34.46, for a total transaction of $344,600.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 206,159 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,104,239.14. This represents a 4.63% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 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 transaction of $127,520.50. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 118,567 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,957,286.27. The trade was a 2.51% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 21,050 shares of company stock worth $734,041. Company insiders own 0.51% 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.