Lincoln National (NYSE:LNC) Stock Price Breaks Above 50 Day Moving Average – What’s Next?

Lincoln National Corporation (NYSE:LNC)’s stock price passed above its fifty day moving average during trading on Tuesday. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $41.69 and traded as high as $42.63. Lincoln National shares last traded at $42.2440, with a volume of 2,468,169 shares trading hands.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on LNC shares. Bank of America restated a “neutral” rating and set a $47.00 price target on shares of Lincoln National in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of Lincoln National from $52.00 to $54.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, October 12th. UBS Group boosted their price objective on shares of Lincoln National from $44.00 to $46.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 6th. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Lincoln National from $45.00 to $48.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 7th. Finally, National Bank Financial set a $49.00 target price on shares of Lincoln National in a research note on Wednesday, October 7th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $48.67.

Lincoln National Price Performance

The company has a current ratio of 0.27, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $41.69 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $39.03. The company has a market cap of $8.09 billion, a PE ratio of 3.66, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 1.16.

Lincoln National Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, November 2nd. Stockholders of record on Monday, October 12th were issued a $0.45 dividend. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, October 9th. Lincoln National’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 15.60%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Lincoln National news, EVP Sean Woodroffe sold 11,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, August 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $45.28, for a total value of $498,080.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 119,947 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,431,200.16. This represents a 8.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Gary C. Kelly sold 15,007 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $26.50, for a total value of $397,685.50. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 1.03% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lincoln National

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its stake in Lincoln National by 24.4% in the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 7,755,506 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $275,304,000 after purchasing an additional 1,522,179 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp raised its holdings in Lincoln National by 3.6% during the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 6,106,302 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $215,858,000 after purchasing an additional 215,007 shares during the last quarter. Jennison Associates LLC raised its holdings in Lincoln National by 3.9% during the first quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 3,823,152 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $135,722,000 after purchasing an additional 141,994 shares during the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp acquired a new position in Lincoln National during the second quarter worth $63,112,000. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE boosted its position in Lincoln National by 11.5% during the second quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 1,592,814 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $56,306,000 after purchasing an additional 163,969 shares in the last quarter. 72.81% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Lincoln National Company Profile

Lincoln National Corporation, operating under the Lincoln Financial Group brand, is a financial services company that provides insurance and retirement products primarily in the United States. Its businesses are designed to help individuals, employers and institutions manage financial protection, income and long-term savings needs.

The company offers life insurance and annuities, including products intended to provide death-benefit protection, retirement income and asset accumulation. Through its group protection business, Lincoln also provides employer-sponsored disability, dental, vision and leave-management solutions, as well as related workplace benefits and services.

Lincoln traces its history to the founding of The Lincoln National Life Insurance Company in Fort Wayne, Indiana, in 1905.