Vest Financial LLC Buys 31,441 Shares of Lincoln National Corporation $LNC

Vest Financial LLC boosted its stake in Lincoln National Corporation (NYSE:LNC) by 8.9% during the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 384,803 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 31,441 shares during the quarter. Vest Financial LLC’s holdings in Lincoln National were worth $15,519,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in LNC. Phillips Financial Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Lincoln National by 1.2% in the third quarter. Phillips Financial Management LLC now owns 21,857 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $881,000 after buying an additional 254 shares in the last quarter. Assetmark Inc. increased its stake in Lincoln National by 5.2% in the 2nd quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 5,401 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $187,000 after acquiring an additional 268 shares during the last quarter. Evergreen Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Lincoln National by 3.2% during the 2nd quarter. Evergreen Capital Management LLC now owns 8,815 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $305,000 after acquiring an additional 275 shares in the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC raised its holdings in shares of Lincoln National by 1.7% during the 3rd quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 17,927 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $723,000 after acquiring an additional 297 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Focus Financial Network Inc. boosted its position in shares of Lincoln National by 4.0% during the 3rd quarter. Focus Financial Network Inc. now owns 7,821 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $315,000 after acquiring an additional 300 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 72.81% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Morgan Stanley restated an “overweight” rating on shares of Lincoln National in a research report on Monday, December 15th. Mizuho started coverage on shares of Lincoln National in a research report on Tuesday, December 16th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $52.00 target price on the stock. Evercore ISI increased their price target on shares of Lincoln National from $45.00 to $46.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a report on Thursday, October 9th. Barclays boosted their price objective on Lincoln National from $42.00 to $46.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their target price on Lincoln National from $43.00 to $44.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Monday, November 3rd. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $46.25.

Lincoln National Price Performance

LNC opened at $41.02 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.28, a current ratio of 0.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61. The business has a fifty day moving average of $43.07 and a 200 day moving average of $40.63. Lincoln National Corporation has a 52-week low of $27.58 and a 52-week high of $46.82. The stock has a market cap of $7.79 billion, a P/E ratio of 3.68, a PEG ratio of 0.42 and a beta of 1.32.

Lincoln National (NYSE:LNC) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The financial services provider reported $2.04 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.84 by $0.20. The firm had revenue of $4.56 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.80 billion. Lincoln National had a net margin of 11.49% and a return on equity of 18.77%. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.06 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Lincoln National Corporation will post 7.69 EPS for the current year.

Lincoln National Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, February 2nd. Investors of record on Monday, January 12th will be issued a $0.45 dividend. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.4%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, January 12th. Lincoln National’s payout ratio is presently 16.16%.

Insider Transactions at Lincoln National

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