Morgan Stanley Has Lowered Expectations for Lincoln National (NYSE:LNC) Stock Price

Lincoln National (NYSE:LNC) had its target price reduced by research analysts at Morgan Stanley from $54.00 to $50.00 in a report issued on Monday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an “overweight” rating on the financial services provider’s stock. Morgan Stanley’s price objective would indicate a potential upside of 36.46% from the stock’s previous close.

LNC has been the subject of a number of other research reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price objective on shares of Lincoln National from $43.00 to $44.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Monday, November 3rd. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective on Lincoln National from $52.00 to $59.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, December 15th. UBS Group upped their target price on Lincoln National from $42.00 to $43.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, October 31st. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Lincoln National from $39.00 to $41.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 13th. Finally, Piper Sandler lifted their price target on Lincoln National from $42.00 to $48.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 23rd. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Lincoln National presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $46.00.

Lincoln National Price Performance

Shares of LNC traded down $3.26 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $36.64. 1,054,308 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,857,365. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $42.62 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $41.50. Lincoln National has a 12-month low of $27.58 and a 12-month high of $46.82. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a current ratio of 0.27. The company has a market cap of $6.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 6.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.68 and a beta of 1.31.

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP John Christopher Kennedy sold 3,519 shares of Lincoln National stock in a transaction 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 118,985 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,253,187.75. The trade was a 2.87% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP James Waltman Reid sold 3,050 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 18th. The stock was 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 approximately $4,957,286.27. This represents a 2.51% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 0.54% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Lincoln National

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Baird Financial Group Inc. acquired a new stake in Lincoln National during the 1st quarter worth $241,000. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of Lincoln National by 30.9% during the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 71,981 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,585,000 after buying an additional 16,991 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC boosted its stake in shares of Lincoln National by 316.9% during the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 59,115 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,123,000 after buying an additional 44,936 shares during the period. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC grew its holdings in shares of Lincoln National by 5.0% during the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 623,322 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $22,383,000 after buying an additional 29,421 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Focus Partners Wealth increased its position in Lincoln National by 39.1% in the 1st quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 19,530 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $701,000 after acquiring an additional 5,486 shares during the period. 72.81% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other 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.